Why Is It Always Me?
by what-not-787
Summary: Jade Spencer has lost two of her four best friends to Sam Uley's cult of steroids, tattoos, short hair, and unnatural muscles. When her last two friends are recruited by this group, she must deal with being friendless while also fight her sudden attraction towards Paul Lahote, who was one of the ones to steal her friends from her. Paul/OC Better than it sounds. Rated M for language
1. Breaking The Rules

_**Author's Note:**_

_**This is my first story I'm posting on here. Constructive criticism is welcome! I recently discovered a new found addiction to Paul so this is the result of my over active mind. Warning: There is Bella bashing in here. Sorry if it seems too intense. **_

_**I do not own Twilight, that belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I hope this turns out okay, enjoy!**_

'How about this! Let's go on a hike through the woods.' Gracie says as we wander towards the lunch room. 'Why?' I moan. 'It'll be fun!' she says. 'What about hiking is fun?' I look over at her and she huffs. 'Fresh air. Exercise. Hello?' she sings and I roll my eyes. 'We get fresh air all the time, this is La Push. C'mon, something fun.' I say. 'Hiking is fun.' she sniffs and turns away. I roll my eyes and one of my favorite boys walks up.

He should be my only favorite boy seeing as the other two abandoned Gracie, Quil and I for a cult full of muscles, tattoos, short hair, and steroids. Sam Uley would grab unsuspecting little boys and feed them something that makes them grow muscles on their muscles within a few weeks. No normal person can do that.

'Hiking is not fun.' Quil says, draping his arms over our shoulders. He was handling it pretty well, considering Jacob and Embry had been his absolute best friends. The five of us had all grown up together and now that Embry and Jacob had abandoned us for that stupid cult, Quil had been a little more downtrodden. Not as much as I expected, and I felt like he knew it was coming. But now, the group of boys were watching him like he was next.

He swore up and down he'd refuse whatever they had to offer, but I couldn't help but feel like that wouldn't happen. Embry and Jake promised they would, too. Jake had even cut his ties with Isabella Swan. That, however, we weren't upset about. I never liked the pale girl who looked like her face had been smashed in with an ugly stick.

'Hiking is a blast!' Gracie gasps, bringing my attention back down to the two. 'You're so weird.' Quil shakes his head and we all get in line for lunch. I should have brought my lunch, but I decided fifteen more minutes of sleep was a fair trade. Now, I was regretting my decision. The food wasn't really categorized as food.

I hear whispers erupt and realize the four must have entered the cafeteria. Before their complete transformation that didn't seem humanly possible, all four guys had been deemed attractive and targets for the more flirty girls. Now, they were untouchable attraction wise. Only the hottest of the hot were allowed near them, which explained why shy, rich little Kim Connweller was the only girl dating one of them. Jared, to be exact.

Once she started dating him, though, she was deemed unfriendly and therefore none of her old friends were willing to talk to her anymore. Who would give up their friends for a guy? Just one simple guy. Sure, Jared was hot. Like...really hot. But I was sure there were hotter guys out there that weren't on steroids, weren't part of a cult, and didn't make the poor girl choose between friendship and a relationship. The choice was easy, or so I thought.

It didn't matter; I would never know. Even if I had an interest in Paul (the only one I didn't know personally enough to categorize as a brother before this) he wouldn't ever have an interest in little old me. I was boring. I wasn't sleazy, how he liked them, and I wasn't nearly pretty enough.

The three of us finally get to the front of line and we pick out our food. I glance over at Embry and Jake, wishing for a split moment that they'd sit at our old table instead of their new one. Jake hesitated next to it, but a call from Embry had him scurrying back over like an obedient puppy.

I glare and grab my milk forcefully. Why couldn't he just break away again? Go back to being my goofy bff Jake? I drop into my seat and look over at Gracie who had a cautious look on her face. 'What's wrong?' she asks. 'I'm so tired of this shit. Who does he think he is splitting up a group of friends like that? It's not okay.' I huff. 'Calm down, my love. People grow apart as they grow older. Eventually, we would have gone to college and only texted once a day!' she says. I send her a harsh look and stab my fork into the innocent chicken tender. 'I hate you.' I mutter and she winces.

'Quil?' she asks. 'Nope. I'm just as pissed.' he mutters, taking a rather large bite of what appeared to be mashed potatoes. Gracie sighs and starts eating her vegetables silently. I play with my chicken tender, considering stabbing it some more or eating it and decide to take a huge bite. I was hungry. We eat in silence, all slowly letting the anger ebb away as we silently agreed to drop the subject for now.

'So, I hung out with Bella yesterday.' Quil says and I drop my fork and look up at him, my annoyance returning threefold. He winces and shrugs. 'I don't get why Jake loves her so much.' he mumbles and I push my plate away. 'Fuck it, Quil. Why did you have to bring that up now?' I order. 'Cause I felt ashamed.' he whines and Gracie sends me a harsh look. I pout and shake my head. 'Is she gonna steal you from us, too?' I ask, my voice dropping in concern. 'There's no way I could! You guys are a thousand times better than her!' he says fast and I smile. 'Good answer, kid.' I say and he smiles happily.

It wasn't until the next day that the three of us went semi back to normal. As normal as we could be while missing two of our best friends more than any of us would be willing to admit. Didn't Jake see how much it tore us up when Embry left? Wasn't he one of the ones who was really upset about him leaving?

I sigh as I walk from my car to homeroom. If I started thinking like this, I'd just get pissed off again. I, unfortunately, had the pleasure of having homeroom with the four. Gracie and Quil had a different homeroom and at the time were upset cause they felt like they were missing out on the awesomeness that was Jake, Embry and myself.

Now I felt miserable. It wasn't fair. I walk into the room and find the four laughing together. I drop into my seat that was as far away from them as possible and pull out my book, struggling to ignore the fact that Jacob and Embry had replaced us in their hearts. I can't help but glance over and notice Paul was, for whatever reason, looking at me, too. We catch eyes and I feel myself gasp and let my mouth fall open.

I had tunnel vision, only for him, and that felt weird. After what felt like hours, I somehow broke away at the world his eyes and mine had created and turned back around fast. That was weird and I didn't like it. I stare down at my book and fight the urge to look back at him again. The teacher walks in and I look up at him, hoping he'd create a distraction strong enough to keep my gaze from lingering.

As the teacher started talking about boring updates on the community, I could feel the want, no; the need to look back at him. As I was about to, the bell rang. I grabbed my bag and high tailed it out of there, heading to my first period.

I didn't have anymore classes with Paul, therefore that need wouldn't be there all day. I'd been strong for those fifteen minutes, but seventy minutes seemed like an impossible feat. I enter my math class and grab my homework, sighing a relief. How the hell was I supposed to feel about that shit?

Kim walks in and I realize Jared had walked to her to class. He kisses her gently and his eyes find me, a knowing look in them. I look away instantly and play with my homework. What the hell was up with these boys? Why couldn't they take the hint?

The first three periods of the day seemed to drag by and I was really looking forward to lunch. When Gracie and I met up with Quil after our study period, which we spent in my car, Quil knew something was off with me, but unlike Gracie, he was gonna say something about it.

'You look off. What's wrong?' he asks and I shake my head staring at the ground as I stood with them in line. I'd brought my lunch, so I wouldn't be buying this crap, but I sure as hell didn't want to sit alone where my eyes could...wander. 'Seriously, what's wrong?' he orders and glances back. His eyes narrow and he shakes his head, turning forward again. That could only mean one thing. The four steroids were standing behind us in line.

'Hey Jade.' I hear a soft voice murmur and I let out a soft breath and glance back at Kim. 'Hi.' I mumble and she smiles. 'Did you understand the homework in math?' she asks. 'Yeah.' I mutter and step forward again. 'It seems like a lot of work to do, doesn't it? More than usual?' she asks nervously. 'Why don't you guys go sit down? I'll get your food, Gracie. Make sure Jade sits down and gets some water.' Quil says sharply and I look up at him with a slight smile. He nods and Gracie does too. 'C'mon, Jade.' she says and we walk over to our table.

I glance back to make sure Quil wasn't doing something stupid and find damn Paul's eyes on me. I turn around fast and sigh, dropping into my seat and placing my bag next to me, just in case. 'Why was she talking to you? Isn't that a big no-no?' Gracie whispers. 'I dunno.' I mutter, unpacking my lunch. 'Really, though...what's wrong with you?' she asks, leaning in. 'Nothing. I'll be fine.' I huff.

'You've been off all morning. Are you still upset about Quil spending time with Swan?' she asks and I grimace. 'Don't...don't bring that up.' I sigh and she grins. 'So you are. It's not like he's planning on doing it again!' she says. 'I don't care.' I huff and poke around at my cold spaghetti. 'You do care!' she says and I glare up at her.

Quil sits and pushes a tray over to Gracie who smiles and nods. 'Thanks for saving her. What the hell is up?' Gracie asks. 'I dunno, but I don't like it. Avoid them.' he says. 'Right, cause I'm not already doing that, right?' I ask. 'Whatever, just do it!' he says sharply and I roll my eyes.

The four guys walk past our table and I turn my face away as they do. Of course, that took a lot of work as my eyes apparently were consistently searching for Paul. How come that had to happen to me? How come ridiculous crushes had to pop up out of nowhere? It wasn't fair. I finish my spaghetti and watch Quil and Gracie chat about better stuff than what I was thinking about while starting in on my pudding.

'Hey, we should go shopping.' Gracie says, nudging me with her foot. I look up at her and shake my head. 'You know I don't like to go shopping like you do.' I say. 'Because you're poor, but I can pay for a few outfits.' she says. 'It's not because I'm poor!' I say, sending her a nasty look. 'It's because I just don't like to try on a whole bunch of clothes that make me look more awful and only end up buying some crappy sweater that I know I'll never wear.' I glare and she smiles.

'You look hot in everything.' she says. 'Shut up.' I groan and Quil shrugs, bumping shoulders with me. 'It might make you feel better, you never know.' he says. I send him a look and he chuckles. 'What?' he asks. 'Not you too.' I say, annoyed. He laughs again and puts his arm around my shoulder, tugging me into his chest. 'I'll come too. To hold your guys' bags!' he says, making his best butler voice. I look at Gracie again who nods with a big grin.

'Fine. But only for a few hours!' I say. 'Yes! Tomorrow, I'll pick you up.' she says. 'No, I'll pick you up. I'm driving, cause I'm the man!' Quil says and she throws a french fry at him. He catches it in his mouth and I laugh and clap softly. He bows his head and winks over at Gracie. She rolls her eyes and I finish my food, in a better mood. Maybe Quil was right. Maybe some shopping would make me feel better.

'Ready, mademoiselle's?' Quil asks as I hop into the backseat of the car. She'd been picked up first. I stretch out in the back seat and sigh. 'If we must.' I say. 'Feeling better today?' Gracie asks. 'Still feeling a little...off, but it might be because Kim randomly started talking to me yesterday.' I say.

_And because the thought of Paul gives me shivers and I've been picturing his eyes in my head since homeroom yesterday._ I think to myself.

I give myself an annoyed shake and look out the window as Gracie and Quil chat. He finally gets to Port Angeles and we all get out at the mall. I pull my purse over my head and the three of us head inside. It didn't take long for me to be tired of this, and I think Quil felt the same, but Gracie was having a blast. She was ready to go into another strong smelling store when an even better smell hit my nose. The pretzel stand was a couple feet away.

'I'm gonna get a pretzel.' I say. 'Yum! Me too!' Quil says and Gracie waves us off, heading into the store. We share grins and head over to the pretzel stand. 'Feeling better?' Quil asks as we pay and sit down, devouring our glorious food. 'My mood has shifted, but it's more towards annoyance at letting you two assholes talk me into this. Plus, who shops at these stores?' I ask. 'Gracie.' he says.

'She's a twig! No normal sized woman shops there.' I say. 'We'll convince her to find a store suited for women and not little girls.' he grins and I roll my eyes. 'Nice wording, I'm impressed you didn't dig yourself into a ditch.' I say. 'Me too!' he says and I glare. He gulps and takes a huge gulp of his lemonade.

We sit in silence, waiting for Gracie to come back out. And she did, soon enough, with three more bags added to her five. 'Quil, didn't you say you were coming to carry the bags?' she asks. 'How do you even buy so much shit? Do you have space in your closet for this?' he asks. 'I've gained some weight so I needed to buy more my size.' she shrugs. I shake my head and Quil takes the one bag I have. 'There, I'm doing my job!' he says and walks away.

I can't help but chuckle as Gracie pouts. I take a few of her bags and she sighs, thankfully. 'Where to, next?' she asks. 'It's your shopping trip.' I say. 'No, it's ours. What about Aerie?' she asks. 'Their stuff doesn't fit a figure like mine, Gracie.' I say. 'Oh, then let's wander around until you see something you've gotta have!' she says and we did just that. Except, I didn't find anything I _had_ to have.

She drags me into a store and I mentally groan. Not another one. I look around and realize all the mannequins were not size zeros. I blink surprised then slowly start wandering. They had some cute stuff. Lots of cute stuff. I couldn't help but feel a bit more interested. After examining all my favorite items, I was ready to leave. I couldn't afford a forty dollar shirt or an eighty dollar dress. I'd come back after I became rich.

Gracie had been watching me the whole time and somehow didn't argue when we left. We headed to the car after getting Quil two more pretzels and were on our way home. Gracie was on her phone in the back and I wondered why she was so quiet.

Once I was dropped off, I realized just how exhausting shopping was. It didn't make much sense. I drop into my house and hear my brother upstairs, messing with his guitar. I grin slightly and walk up the stairs then drop on the beanbag in his room, listening silently.

'What's wrong, kid?' he asks. 'What do you do when you like a girl?' I ask and he glances back, both eyebrows raised. 'You like a girl?' he asks. 'No, I want to know what you do when you like a girl.' I say. 'I talk to her.' he says. 'Every time?' I ask. 'Well...sometimes I observe her from afar. Adore her beauty.' he says and I raise an eyebrow up at him. 'Isn't that...sort of stalker ish?' I ask.

'What you have to realize, my dear baby sister, is that us guys are not as brave as we lead you to think. Behind all that bravo is a goofy little brat scared to death of being turned down by this goddess we adore.' he says. 'You sure have a way with words, Brent.' I say and he shrugs, going back to his guitar. 'So, how long does it take for you to ask her out?' I ask.

'Depends on her scale.' he says. My eyes narrow and he laughs. 'Not like that. How much I like her, how attractive I think she is, how much more attractive she's becoming as I observe her. Some girls grow on me fast. Like, one second they're invisible and then all it takes is one thing and I'm addicted to her; like a drug.' he says. 'So, guys are a lot like girls.' I statet. 'We're only human, Jade.' he chuckles and picks a the guitar. I sit back and watch him.

'What if a girl likes you? Have you ever had a girl ask you out?' I ask. 'Plenty of times! I say yes every time. It's worth giving everyone a chance, right? Wouldn't you want someone to give you a chance?' he asks. 'Yeah...' I say slowly and he winks. 'Why the sudden curiosity?' he asks. 'I dunno. It came out of nowhere.' I say. 'You don't have a crush on Quil, Jake, or Embry do you?' he asks and I throw a pillow at him, laughing.

'Ewe!' I cheer and he chuckles. 'Okay, just had to check.' he says and we hear the door downstairs open. We share smiles and hop out, racing down. 'Grandma! Grandpa!' I cheer and launch myself into my grandfather's arms. 'Jade-bug!' he calls, hugging me tight. 'What a flight.' Grandma sighs, hugging Brent first. We switch grandparents and I hug my grandma close.

'How's California?' I ask. 'Warm and sunny. You sure you don't want to move there with us? You could get a lot of vitamin D into those pores.' she says. 'Call me crazy, I like the rain.' I grin. 'Crazy.' she counters and I stick my tongue out, but grin. I was looking forward to this since I'd left them in July. I'd only been there for a week, and they were only here for four days, but I was gonna make the most of it. I loved my grandparents.

'Hey kids, wanna grab their bags?' mom asks, stepping in. 'You got it!' I cheer and run outside. 'Put some shoes on!' dad calls and I wave him away. 'Too late, gotta run!' I say and grab a few bags then go to run back. I feel my feet slide in the mud and let out a girly yelp as I hit the ground. My grandparents, parents, and brother all look over and burst out laughing.

I pout and Brent runs out and holds his hand out. Instead of taking it, I grab a handful of mud and throw it at him. His eyes narrow and he leans down, grabbing his own slab. I yelp again and struggle to get up, feeling an awful lot like Scooby-Doo, and scramble around the car, avoiding his shot. I laugh and grab some more mud and throw it at him.

'Cheater!' he yells and I feel the mud plant itself in my hair. 'Hey! You don't mess with a lady's hair!' I throw more and soon it was an all out war. 'Okay, okay!' dad says, walking down the steps, chuckling. I grin and go to grab a bag when dad snatches my wrist. 'No way are you touching anything but the floor and a shower. Go.' he says. 'Yes sir.' I grin and head inside, nudging Brent as I went. We race up the stairs and I stick my tongue out as I trip him and hop into the bathroom. He grins, amused and nods. 'I'll get you back.' he says. 'Looking forward to it!' I snicker and shut the door.

_**First chappie is done! Hope you enjoyed!**_


	2. Losing A Friend

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Hey guys! Thanks for all the follows/favorites! I wasn't expecting people to like this so much. Here's the second chapter! I have a few written up but I'm gonna spend a few days editing and changing them a bit as I go! I realized that this story is definitely rated M for language. I have a potty mouth, tehe. Hope you guys enjoy!**_

_**Warning: This story contains plenty of Bella smashing. **_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, it belongs to the lovely Stephenie Meyer. Jade belongs to me, as does her awesome friend Gracie and her even cooler big brother, Brent!**_

Monday morning was the worst. I was worried that my eyes would instantly be drawn to Paul again and hoped that this weekend's shopping excursion had helped me forget about the suddenly intense crush that had befuddled me.

I dress somewhat more cute than I usually do and blame it on the new jeans that I'd purchased. They made my ass look good, so I might as well give them a whirl at school, right? I didn't dare do my makeup because I knew Quil and Gracie would notice. I pull my hair into it's normal bun then frown and pull it free. I would do a side braid today.

I'd mastered it when I had gone on three dates with Kellen Nicostein. I had practiced and practiced all day long and had managed to make them look pretty darn cute. It turned out to be all in vain seeing as he had only asked me out to get closer to Gracie. It was pretty typical, Gracie was one of the prettiest girls in the school. Plus, she was rich.

I pull my shoes on and head to my car, kissing my grandfather's cheek as I went. He was always up early, reading the paper and drinking his fourteenth cup of coffee. Not really, but he drank a lot. I loved it, his breath always smelled like coffee mixed with peppermint from his toothpaste. It was a comforting scent.

'Bye papa.' I call and he smiles over at me. 'Have fun at school, baby girl.' he calls back. I shut the door and run to the car, climbing in. I sigh and check my appearance again, hoping the rain wouldn't ruin it. When I got to the school, Gracie's car was parked in the spot next to mine. She never parked this far away from the school. I frown and get out and notice her sitting in the car. Knocking on the window I lean over and shove my hands into the pockets of my sweatshirt.

'Hey!' she hops out and grins. 'Hey.' I say back and she hooks her arm in mine, walking to the front of the school with me. 'Why'd you park so far away?' I ask. 'Quil took my spot so I figured I'd take his. Plus...I have a present for you! I'll give it to you after school, okay?' she asks. 'Uh, okay.' I say slowly, looking over at my friend. She was acting weird.

'I had so much fun shopping!' she giggles and I chuckle. 'New outfit.' I notice. 'New jeans. Nice ass.' she says and I blush and look away. 'Shut up, Gracie Lou.' I say. 'Don't call me that!' she huffs and we stop at our lockers. I grab my bags and look over at her again.

'I don't want to go to homeroom.' I whine. 'I know. Maybe we can see if you can be switched into Quil's and my homeroom.' she offers. 'We've tried that, remember?' I ask. 'Maybe if you explain that the Uley cult makes you feel threatened...' she says. 'I wouldn't necessarily use that word.' I mumble and she rolls her eyes. 'Whatever, close enough.' she scoffs and I raise an eyebrow up at her.

'My favorite ladies.' Quil walks over and I smile. 'Hey Quil.' I sigh. 'I'm not ready for History, are you?' he asks. 'What's in history?' I gasp, panic flaring. 'That paper on those selected people and stuff.' he says. 'Jesus, Quil. You scared the shit outta me. I thought we had a test or something. Nice explanation.' I mumble sarcastically. 'No, no doll face. You look nice.' he says, ignoring my jab. I raise both eyebrows and look up at him. 'What?' I ask. 'I mean...you look nicer than usual.' he says. 'No, you already lost.' I say, holding a hand up. He grins and shrugs.

The bell rings and I whine again and shake my head. 'See you in study period.' Gracie says and they slowly turn and walk away. I sigh and put my earbuds in, playing the first song that came on. Heavy metal. Nice.

I head into class and sit in my seat, staring at my desk. They were already there and I was _not_ going to look at them. 'Hi.' I barely hear and glance up to see Anna, a girl I'd done a project with in History once. I sigh and tug an earbud out. 'Hi Anna.' I mumble. 'I heard your brother's back.' she says and I watch her then struggle not to roll my eyes. 'Yeah, he's back for a while.' I say. 'Where'd he go?' she asks.

'Why do you want to know?' I tilt my head. 'He said he'd call.' she says. I watch her then shrug. 'He probably got...busy.' I say then mentally wince. Lame. 'Right.' she looks down and I let out a breath. 'I'll...tell him to call you, how about that? He owes me a favor.' I say and her eyes widen. 'What? No, don't waste a favor on me!' she says fast and the teacher walks in. She blushes and moves to her seat and I look down at my desk then tug out my phone, texting him.

He was an ass, talking about how he gave every woman a chance. He was gonna get it and get it bad. 'Phones away.' the teacher says. I look up at him then shove it into my bag, refusing to let the embarrassment wash over me. I was already done with this day and it just started. When the bell rang signaling the period was over, I tugged my phone out again and dialed.

'What's up, baby girl?' Brent asks. 'You're an ass. Not calling Anna Freemont when you said you were! Was everything you told me about how you treat girls a lie?' I ask. 'I did call her. A guy picked up. And it wasn't her brother. I don't do that.' he says and I stop and sigh. 'Fuck it, Brent. I'm coming home. Today is already too much.' I say. 'The hell you are. I'll come for lunch and...we'll chill in my car listening to awesome tunes!' he says.

'Gracie will have a heart attack. Don't. I don't need her talking about you all afternoon, and I bet Quil doesn't want to hear it either.' I say. 'C'mon, Jade. It always makes you feel better.' he says. 'What would make me feel better is having two of my best friends back to help make this day not shit.' I say, stopping at my locker and leaning against it. 'Well, you know that's not gonna happen so suck it up.' he says and I look down.

'Okay, deal with today and the rest of this semester with a grin and I'll convince mom and dad to consider getting a dog.' he says. 'I hate you, and love you at the same time. See you after school.' I say and he chuckles. 'Don't be late.' he says. 'Mmmhmm.' I hang up and step into the classroom right before the late bell rings. Kim looks over and smiles.

The only open seat was next to her. I drop into it and grab my homework. 'Hi.' she says. 'Not to be rude but...I'm having a bad day. Don't really...feel like chatting.' I say and she sighs and nods, looking down. I nod as well and look towards the board.

'I'm so glad you didn't ditch because...I have that surprise for you!' Gracie drags us to the cars and I glance back at Quil who waves and gets into his own. Gracie opens her trunk and thrusts four bags into my arms. 'What's this?' I mutter, peeking in. Clothing. 'Your clothes will never fit me, bitch.' I mutter, looking up annoyed.

'No shit! I went back to that shop and bought everything you liked! You tell me if it doesn't fit and we'll exchange it!' she says. 'You are in so much trouble!' I snap and she giggles and hops into her car. 'Love ya! Wear something tomorrow! And keep your hair like that!' she yells and drives away. I shove the bags into my trunk and close my eyes. I didn't even get a chance to thank her. I drop into my car and drop my head on the steering wheel.

There's a knock on the window and I jump and look over, expecting Quil or even Brent. It was neither. Paul's gorgeous eyes were staring back at me. I watch him then glance around, searching for the rest of the cult. Jared, Kim, Embry, and Jake were all hovering by a truck that I knew was Paul's. I let out a breath and turn the car on enough to roll down the window.

'Yes?' I ask and he smiles. 'You okay?' he asks. 'Yeah. I should go.' I say and he frowns. 'Oh.' he says and I nod. 'Yeah. Uh, thanks for checking.' I say and try to start my car. It makes a whirring noise but doesn't catch. My eyes widen and I try again. This was a problem Jake would fix consistently for me. Said as long as we were friends, I didn't need to go to a shop and get a new part for it. I didn't even know what it was, but I did know that I hadn't taken it to a shop and gotten a new part for it.

Paul had been backing away, but when I tried again he walks back over. 'Are you sure you're okay?' he asks again and I let out a breath. 'I'll be fine. I'll call my brother.' I say. 'I can look at it.' he says. 'No, thank you.' I mutter and grab my phone. I try to unlock it and find it was dead. Yes, today was shit. 'Bad luck, huh?' he frowns sympathetically.

I slowly reach for the lever to pop my hood the climb out of the car. Maybe I could fix it after watching Jake do it so many times. Staring into the front of my car, I realized I was lost and hopeless. As soon as I stepped away, Paul was right there. 'Jake!' he yells and I feel my heart sink. 'No!' I say fast and watch Jake slowly walk over, eyes downcast. I watch him then turn away.

'Still haven't gotten it fixed, huh?' he mumbles, his voice deeper than I remembered. I cross my arms and glare and he gulps softly, the pain from my words entering his eyes. 'Well, last time it broke I wasn't under the impression I'd need a shop's help. Guess I was wrong.' I say sharply and he hesitates before leaning under.

Brent would start getting worried and start calling. I was expecting him to drive by within fifteen minutes. 'I don't have all my tools, so it'll be a very temporary fix.' Jake says and I look over to the street, hoping Brent would show up soon. The one good thing that has happened today does and I see his car pull in. As soon as he parked he was out of the car and jogging over.

'What the fuck do you think you're doing, Black?' he orders. 'Fixing my car, just calm down.' I murmur. 'He's not fixing shit! He doesn't get to be near you anymore.' Brent glares and I glance at Paul who was still standing nearby then to the other two were still over next to Paul's truck. 'I didn't want her stranded.' Jake says. 'Don't fucking act like you care about her!' Brent growls and I wince.

'Okay, okay. Please, calm down.' I say and he looks down at me. He watches me and I tilt my head. 'Papa and nana want you to come live with them in California, maybe that's not such a bad idea.' he says. I watch him silently then shake my head. 'N-no.' I say and he frowns. Paul steps closer and Brent glares. 'You started this! You and that asshole over there! I helped you, man! I helped you and you go and join his cult like a bunch of followers! Don't you have minds of your own?' Brent asks and I see Paul clench his fists and glare. He starts shaking softly and I tug on Brent's arm.

'Stop it! Just stop. It's over, it's done. They have their group, we have ours. The paths never have to cross again, I'll make sure of it! Just stop.' I say. 'You can leave my sister alone, now.' Brent says to the still shaking Paul. He growls and Jared jogs forward and grabs his shoulder. 'C'mon, Jake has this.' he says. I chance a glance at Embry and he looks up hopefully.

'All done.' Jake sighs, shutting the hood. 'Get in the car, Jade.' Brent says. I send him a nasty look but climb in. I wanted to say thank you, but knew Brent would throw a huge hissy fit. He climbs into his car and waits for me to drive away. I manage a wave to Jake and his eyes lighten up. I head out and drive home.

When I was finally home and Brent's car was pulling in behind me I could feel the emotions of the day wash over me. I glare slightly then jump out of my car and round on Brent. 'You can't just pick a fight with four of the biggest guys in La Push, you jackass! I was about to watch these guys pummel you to dust!' I snap and he glares. 'Get your shit and get in the house.' he says and walks past. I shake my head and huff, grabbing my backpack and bags.

I head inside and see grandma and grandpa dancing together. I smile and lean against the door frame, watching. Their love was eternal. I had always enjoyed their relationship. Teasing, loving, funny, adoring, just perfect. I wanted a relationship like theirs. I look down and step past, heading upstairs. I drop on my bed and sigh, closing my eyes. I'd have to make Brent drive me to school tomorrow if the car didn't start.

I walk outside to my car and find a note on it. I frown and walk over to it, picking it up. I open it and instantly recognize Jake's handwriting. It was probably the only thing on him that didn't change.

_**Jade,**_

_**I'd ordered this part a while ago and never got around to fixing it. It was supposed to be a surprise, so I came over last night and put it in. It shouldn't give you any problems. I also changed your oil and checked the spark plugs since I remember they used to give you problems. I hope it runs well.**_

_**Jake**_

I feel the tears start coming and I go to crumple the note then sigh. I'd keep it. To remember that a part of my Jake was still in there, somewhere. Maybe I could convince him to come back to us. I hop into the car and wave to Brent who was waiting at the door. He waves back and I start the car and smile. Yes, Jake was still good. He had to be. If only I could get him to go back to his old goofy self. I drive to school and hop out, noticing Quil's car wasn't in the parking lot.

I could sense the nervous feeling starting in my stomach and search for Gracie's car. It was here. I sigh a breath of relief and head inside, heading to my locker then to homeroom. I drop in and realize I was the first here. I had a fifty left over from the grandparents being awesome. I would give it to Jake and that would be that.

The four walk in and Jake glances down at me. 'Here.' I mutter, holding it up. 'No.' he waves his hand and walks to his seat. Okay, his mood swings were starting to piss me off. I roll my eyes and let out an annoyed breath, shoving the fifty back into my bag. Fine, if he wanted to play that way then I could too. I promised Brent I wouldn't deal with them anymore; that was exactly what I planned on doing.

I glance back at them one more time, finding Paul's eyes. He looks over at me and I look back to the front fast, trying to pretend like I hadn't been looking at him.

The bell rings after the teacher talks about the warning going around about a bear out there. No wandering through the trees alone and stuff like that. See, it was good I'd denied Gracie's camping idea. I stand and head to math and almost run into Gracie.

'Quil must be sick.' she says. I could feel that dreaded feeling. 'You don't think...' I begin and she shrugs. 'I wouldn't be surprised anymore.' she says and I nod and look down. 'Fine.' I say and head to math. The classes went by quickly. I was lost in my thoughts about Sam Uley's cult. It wasn't fair.

At lunch, Gracie and I didn't even eat. We just sat there, staring at the table, wishing Quil was there to make us feel better like he had been since Jake and Embry had left us. 'I can't take this. My grandparents offered for me to live with them. I'm actually tempted to take them up on their offer at this point.' I mutter.

'Can I join you?' she grumbles, dropping her head on the table. I watch her then smile. 'I wouldn't ever leave you behind, Gracie. I'm not like that.' I say. 'That's what Embry, Quil, and Jake said too!' she snaps and I raise both eyebrows. Gracie didn't usually get fits of anger like this. 'I think I'm gonna go home early. I don't feel great.' she mutters and I sigh and nod.

'Try calling Quil. He might just have a cold.' I say and she scoffs. 'Don't get your hopes up.' she says and I wave her away heading to History where the weight of what was happening would come crashing down as my normal, goofy best friend and class partner would not be there. Sam Uley had stolen another of my friends.

_**There's the end of this chapter! Love it? Hate it? I'll have the next chapter up soon either way. I promise.**_


	3. My Imprint My Life

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Hey guys! I couldn't stay away! I got my first review! Yay and thanks to cullensrule, you're awesome! I'm glad you like my story, I hope I can continue to keep you reading. This chapter is dedicated to you! Thanks to everyone else who is adding my story to their favorites and following and just reading in general! This chapter is from Paul's eyes, figured I could give a window into his thoughts!**_

_**Warning: This story has plenty of Bella bashing. Jade does not like her and she makes it very clear.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight! It and all it's characters belong to the lovely Stephenie Meyer! Jade, her awesome best friend Gracie, and even cooler big brother belong to meeee! **_

/Paul/

Paul hadn't noticed Jade Spencer too terribly much. She didn't really stand out. She was a little bigger in size, had a fuller figure. Not that it was a bad thing, just not his type. She didn't do much with her hair, it was usually in a tight bun. She hadn't switched it up much. Maybe a ponytail here and there. It didn't last long. Her hair would frizz out and then it would end up back in a bun. She had a pretty face, he'd always noticed. Not a face that had that inch-thick makeup covering acne and any other imperfections. It was a natural face.

That had always appealed to Paul more, in all honesty. Who'd want to go to sleep with a clown and wake up with a zombie? She was shy, very shy. But every once in a while he'd see her attitude soar. It was usually with Jacob, Quil, Embry, or Gracie. They were always together, and the boys always seemed to do something stupid that required the girls to snap at them. It always seemed ended in laughter, though. They couldn't stay mad at each other long.

Yes, Jade could be categorized as pretty. She really could. She just was not his type. Well, that all changed one random morning in homeroom. He'd been forced to go to school yet again. Following the Alpha's orders was a bitch. He had to attend school four out of five days every week. He even had to attend every class, no skipping. What was the point? He was a werewolf and he fought vampires for a living. Wouldn't that impress someone on a resume more than a stupid High School diploma?

He was already fucking tired of Jake and Embry's complaining about missing Gracie, Jade, and Quil. As if he didn't hear that shit enough during runs, he had to hear it from them in homeroom, too. Jake and Embry would make pouty faces over at the girl who was actively ignoring them. He had always figured he'd felt the pull to look at her because of the boys. Their emotions ran deep, and often everyone could feel them when they ran.

Today, after slapping Jake especially hard across the back of the head, he decided to see what the big fuss was about. After Embry and Jared laughed with him at Jake's yelp. Jake even laughed a bit with them but went back to pouting towards Jade moments later. What was so special about this chick? She was just a girl. When Paul looked over at her, her head turned to look at him, too. Their eyes met. Instantly the world around him fell away.

Damn, her eyes were gorgeous. They were deep brown with green specks in them. There was a very thin rim of black around the brown and it was beautiful. Every artist in the world should draw her eyes over and over and over again. He could put every painting on his wall and admire them for hours. When Jade turned away, her cheeks aflame, he couldn't help the soft whine that escaped. He wanted to look into those eyes again. He needed to.

She didn't turn around again. It hurt. He could feel the pain deep inside, it was tearing him apart. Dammit, he needed to see those eyes. Suddenly, everything about Jade Spencer was his type. Her cute little bun. Her slightly upturned nose. Those full lips that she was always chewing on. He wanted to chew on them too. Now he knew why she was always nibbling on them. They were perfect. Her sweatshirt, still a little damp from the rain outside, was perfect. Those yoga paints that made her ass look great. Yum. She was perfect.

Paul whines again as the bell rings and she walks out fast. 'No.' he mumbles and the boys all stare at him. 'Did you just...' Jake begins and Embry growls. 'Fuck off.' Paul snarls, feeling his temper rise. The boys could go screw themselves. He didn't have control over this and now they didn't have to deal with him making fun of them every time they whined about wanting Jade to talk to them.

Paul wouldn't get to see her until lunch. He wouldn't be able to admire her beauty for hours. How could he last? Suddenly, his world revolved around her. He was whipped, and he didn't care. He'd be anything she wanted him to be. He'd do anything she wanted him to do. Paul had imprinted, and he didn't care. All he cared about was Jade Spencer.

/FF/

Monday couldn't come fast enough. Paul had patrolled around Jade's house often. Sometimes he just sat under her window, hoping to get a glimpse of her. She was rarely in there. She was out all Saturday and he'd gone by every hour, hoping she would be home. When she finally was, he was called away to do some actual work, which pissed him off. He didn't have much choice in the matter, though. Alpha's orders.

Jake had taken up his vigil of making sure Jade was okay. He'd been doing it since he changed. He missed her more than Embry did. They had been closer. Embry was watching Gracie. Before his imprint, Paul didn't stop making fun of them for it. Now, he was thankful Jake and Embry liked to watch over his girl. He didn't want anything to happen to her. He didn't know what he'd do if something ever happened to her.

When he got to watch a mud fight between her brother, Brent, and herself through Jake's eyes he felt his amusement hit him full on. She was so adorable and fun. He wanted to hold her in my arms, snuggle her. Play games with her. Laugh with her. Never let her go. Paul grumbles as he's forced to go home and rest. Another damn order. Was it this bad with Jared? Maybe Jared got to approach her sooner. He hadn't recruited two of Kim's best friends into a "cult". Damn Sam and his orders. Damn being a wolf.

Monday finally came and Paul practically bounced from his car inside. 'Calm down, man. You're acting weird.' Jared says and Paul sends him his nastiest look. They enter the classroom a few minutes before Jake and Embry and as the last two wolves enter, Jared and Paul noticed they looked upset. 'What's wrong?' Jared asks, frowning. 'She feels threatened by us.' Embry pouts. 'Who does?' Paul could feel his heart sinking. 'Gracie and maybe Jade. They're trying to figure out a way to get Jade transferred from this class.' Jake says. 'No!' Paul growls. That couldn't happen. Then he'd never get to see his imprint.

The door opens and Jade steps in. Her hair was in a side braid that looked perfect in Paul's eyes. She was wearing a pair of jeans that had to be new, they made her look amazing. Paul could feel his wolf fighting against the Alpha order, but it held strong. He would not be able to do anything involving Jade for a while...unless it was to protect her. He didn't really want to have to protect her from something. What a pain in the ass situation.

Damn, was she gorgeous. She looked so beautiful in his eyes, he couldn't help but drink her in. Did she pretty herself up for him? No, she couldn't have. She had earbuds in. She didn't even look his way once. Maybe she was fighting the imprint. But why? Paul had never done anything to her personally.

Sure, he'd taken two of her friends, but once she realized he hadn't wanted to, they'd be okay, right? He'd give them back to her if that meant she could be his for the rest of their lives. He'd do it in a heartbeat. A girl walks over and blocks his view and a growl erupts from his chest. She was in his way. Sam made orders against him talking to Jade, but he could certainly put this little brat in her place for making it impossible to see his girl at all times.

He goes to stand when a hand is placed firmly on his chest. 'Dude, calm down. She's not going anywhere.' Jared says and Paul looks down at his hand then over to his brother, still glaring. 'You're not thinking straight. Take a deep breath.' Jared instructs. 'What the fuck do you know about it?' Paul snarls, feeling himself shake slightly.

'I've been in this place. I've imprinted, too. You know I know how hard it is. I'm one of the only people who does. So calm down. Your time will come.' Jared promises. Paul watches him silently, letting the words sink in. He was right. Jared knew exactly what he was feeling.

That proved Jared had to fight the same feelings inside him; Jared was just better at controlling and hiding what he felt than Paul was. Paul had always had a temper. Add over protectiveness to that and it's a disastrous mix. Paul takes a deep breath then looks over again as the teacher steps in. The girl steps away and slinks to her desk, giving Paul a clear view again.

Jade was typing into her phone, still sitting there safely. He lets another breath free and looks at Jared again. 'Thanks.' he mutters. He'd have to learn how to accept that Jade could not always be in his sight. As long as he never put her in a position to attract danger, she never would be, correct? Jared grins and nods. 'I've got you, Paul. Don't you worry.' Jared says.

All through lunch Paul had stared at her. Every time he'd pass her in the hall, he'd watch her. And now, after school, he was watching her talk to her friend. They were standing at their cars, smiling slightly. He wished he could get closer. He wanted to know why Jade was so happy. Gracie hands her some bags and Jade looks in them and glares at her friend. Before many more words could be said, Gracie was hopping into her car and driving away.

Paul smiles as Jade pouts, enjoying how cute her lips were. She puts the bags away in her trunk and slides into the car, dropping her head against the steering wheel. Paul could feel his heart drop. Was she hurt? Was she sick? Screw the orders, he had to make sure she was okay. He sprints over and knocks on the window, feeling panic set in. She jerks her head up fast and looks over. Confusion clouds her eyes and Paul leans in. The window moves down and he has to concentrate on keeping his voice even.

'Yes?' she asks, her voice soft. He couldn't help but smile. 'You okay?' he asks. Great, masterful. Wonderful! Bravo. You're an idiot. Inwardly, he was grimacing. That was all he could say? Really? Her voice had disarmed him. 'Yeah. I should go.' she says shortly and his smile drops. No, don't go! Why was she leaving so soon? 'Oh.' he manages to say and she nods (quite adorably, too). 'Yeah. Uh, thanks for checking.' she says.

Paul hears his name being called out and he slowly backs up, still watching the girl. There's a whirring from her engine and he feels the happiness wash over him. She was stuck! She had to talk to him some more! 'Are you sure you're okay?' he asks again, feeling more certain about his words. 'I'll be fine. I'll call my brother.' she says. 'I can look at it!' Paul says. He wanted to help her. He wanted to save her. Be her knight in shining armor. 'No, thank you.' she mutters and reaches for her phone.

After attempting to turn it on, it appeared to be dead. 'Bad luck, huh?' Paul frowns. It wasn't bad luck on his part. That was more time he was spending with her. Jade doesn't respond, only reaches over and tugs the lever to pop the hood. She climbs out and Paul steps back, watching her. After a few minutes, Paul realized he was just staring at her ass as she leaned over her car. Creepy.

He grunts and backs up again. He was being weird, but she just gave him the full opportunity to enjoy her assets. She didn't even realize what she did to him. She steps away and Paul makes his move. He didn't know a lot about cars, but maybe he could help. His ears perk as he hears Jake explain to Embry what the problem was and realizes he would have no way of fixing it. This would have to be Jake's moment. He really should have taken the boy's offer at teaching him some more about cars, but it didn't seem important at the time. Now it felt like a life or death decision. Damn his stubborn streak.

'Jake!' he calls and the boy walks over as Jade chokes out one word. 'No.' she was watching Jake walk over. Jake wasn't helping. He looked like an abused puppy with his eyes downcast. He was not making things easier on the poor girl, and that pissed Paul off. He sends Jake a harsh glare that went unnoticed. Jake's eyes were not moving up until he reached the car. Jade turns away and Paul knew she was upset. She missed Jake as much as Jake missed her.

'Still haven't gotten it fixed, huh?' Jake mumbles. Jade's arms cross and her face scrunches up in a glare. She made even that look endearing. Jake gulps and looks away, hurt. 'Well, last time it broke I wasn't under the impression I'd need a shop's help. Guess I was wrong.' Jade says coldly. Ouch. Even without the mind connection, Paul knew how harsh a blow that was to the poor kid.

Jake leans into the car and starts fiddling. He had to give him props. If one of Paul's old friends had said something like that to him, he probably would have exploded then and there. Jake really was a natural. 'I don't have all my tools, so it'll be a very temporary fix.' he says and Jade's eyes turn away, searching for something.

Paul turns as her eyes light up and finds her older brother pulling in. Things were about to get nasty. Brent jogs over as soon as he'd parked the car and Paul realizes he'd left it running in his haste to "protect" his sister from them. That pissed him off, and he wasn't sure why.

'What the fuck do you think you're doing, Black?' Brent orders. 'Fixing my car, just calm down.' Jade says, trying to ease the anger. Brent looked beyond pissed. 'He's not fixing shit! He doesn't get to be near you anymore.' Brent glares and Jade's eyes flash to Paul's, then past him.

_Don't listen to him! Accept us!_ Paul thinks desperately.

'I didn't want her stranded.' Jake tries to explain. 'Don't fucking act like you care about her!' Brent growls and Paul noticed the cringe from Jade. He could feel his anger growing. Brent did not understand how much it hurt. Paul's brothers were in pain every day from being forced away from their best friends. It wasn't fucking fair, and Brent rubbing it in Jake's face was just plain cruel. Paul lets a soft growl free, taking one step closer to Brent, wanting to protect Jake from the verbal abuse.

'Okay, okay. Please, calm down.' Jade says, stepping closer. Brent watches her and she tilts her head, waiting for his response. 'Papa and nana want you to come live with them in California, maybe that's not such a bad idea.' he says. Paul's inner wolf was howling in pain. He couldn't take her away! She was his! He needed her! He needed her around, and she would need him too! He couldn't protect her in California! He couldn't love her in California! She couldn't love him back! No! His fists clench and another growl escapes.

He was gonna do it. He was going to explode in front of his imprint and her brother. Part of him was relieved. She'd know his secret. Then they could be together. 'Calm down! Paul, take deep breaths! She said no! She said no.' Jared was in his ear. Dammit, Jared. Paul moves forward again, hoping to hear it for himself, but all he got was a glare from Brent.

'You started this! You and that asshole over there! I helped you, man! I helped you and you go and join his cult like a bunch of followers! Don't you have minds of your own?' he asks and Paul's fists clench again. He was having a hard time keeping his temper in check. Brent just kept pushing his buttons. Not a good idea on the best of days, but today it was even worse.

'You'll scare her.' Paul could hear Embry whisper. That was the only thing keeping him together. He didn't want to hurt his imprint. He couldn't scare her like that. Jade tugs on Brent's arm, but Paul didn't stop watching the man. He deserved to be taught some respect, and Paul was more than willing to show him what it meant. 'Stop it! Just stop! It's over, it's done. They have their group, we have ours. The paths never have to cross again, I'll make sure of it. Just stop.' Jade was begging.

_No, no, no. No, this can't be happening. Don't do this to me._ Paul begs mentally.

'You can leave my sister alone, now.' Brent says to him and Paul struggles to hold his growl down. It only managed to make it louder. Loud enough for them to hear. Jared had jogged up again, grabbing his shoulder. 'C'mon, Jake has this.' he says and Paul struggles against the urge to round on Jared and fight his ass away. He was trying to help. Instead of going after Jared, he allows his friend to tug him back to his truck, fighting his wolf down instead. He'd have to work on that if he ever wanted Jade to be his completely.

'All done.' Jake says as he shuts the hood. He steps back and pats his hands together, getting the dirt from them. 'Get in the car, Jade.' Brent orders. How dare he order her around. She sends him a look and Paul hopes she'd disobey him. To his disappointment, she followed the order. She didn't even physically have to, but she did. As she begins to drive away, she sends Jake the smallest of waves and Paul knew his mood would lift, if only slightly. She still cared. Now if only Paul could get her to care about him, too.

As they both drive away, Paul could feel himself begin to cool down completely. He lets out another breath and looks over at Jared and Jake. Jake turns away and walks towards the road. 'Where you going?' Embry calls. 'I'm walking home!' he calls. Maybe the kid didn't have as good a hold on his emotions as Paul originally thought. That run-in must have hurt him more than he let on.

'Jake, come here.' Jared sighs, but Jake only waves over his shoulder and walks on. Paul watches him go, knowing how he felt. He knew why Jake wanted to be by that perfect angel so much. He knew why he'd practically stalked her after he'd changed. There was a reason Embry and Jake were obsessed with Jade. She was one of a kind, and Paul wanted her all to himself. He grunts and runs a hand through his hair, annoyed.

'Fuck, Jared. How did not being able to talk to and spend time with Kim not break your heart?' he mutters, dropping against the truck. 'It did break my heart. Which is why I cherish every moment I have with her, now. She's my life. And Jade will be yours, too.' Jared says. 'Sam said the same exact thing to you when you were going through this.' Embry scoffs. 'Shut up! Doesn't make it any less true!' Jared snaps fast and Paul chuckles. 'You were trying to pass that off as your own bullshit.' he says.

'It's still true!' Jared says, glaring. Paul laughs again and hops into the car. His phone rings and he fishes it out, answering. 'Hello?' he asks. 'It's Quil's turn. Meet me at my place.' Sam says. 'You got it. Jake ran off, want me to send Embry to fetch him?' Paul taunts, smirking. 'Yeah. We need him for this. Quil will need him for this. Make it quick.' Sam says and hangs up. Paul turns his smirk to the kid in the back of the truck and Embry whines but hops out of the back of the truck and jogs after Jake.

'Gonna be a long night.' Jared mutters as Paul pulls out and drives towards Sam and Emily's. 'Long week.' Paul mutters. This couldn't have come at a worse time. He wouldn't get to see Jade very much for the next week. That was the last thing he wanted. 'She'll be there when we get back. She'll be more heartbroken, but eventually you'll be there to heal that. Just remember.' Jared says and Paul sends him an annoyed look. 'What are you, Oprah? Shut the fuck up. I can do this.' Paul says. 'Okay.' Jared chuckles, sending him a knowing look.

In reality, Paul was scared to death. Could he get someone who seemed so set against him and his brothers to care for him back? He had no choice, he had to. He loved her. His imprint; his life.

_**There was chapter three. Thoughts? I know, Paul seems a little crazed from the imprinting thing, but he does relax eventually. At least he doesn't voice his thoughts...which is good. Because he's acting loopy and obsessed. Anyway, hope you enjoyed! Next chapter should be out on Saturday, maybe sooner if I get the next chapter edited as quick as I did this one. We go back to Jade's mind again. Yay! **_


	4. The Newest Temperamental Bodybuilder

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Hey guys! I got more reviews, it made me super happy! Thanks Hana, Eileenapr, Maxsmomma, and again to cullensrule! I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter from Paul's view on things. Like I said, he's acting weird and obsessed, but Jade is kinda awesome, so I don't blame him. We are back to Jade's mind in this chapter, yay!**_

_**Warning: This story contains plenty of Bella bashing. Jade does not like her and makes it very clear.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of it's characters. It all belongs to the lovely Stephenie Meyers. Jade, her awesome best friend Gracie and even cooler big brother Brent belong to meee!**_

_**Enjoy**_

Seeing my grandparents off was hard. 'I'll miss you, papa. Nana.' I say, hugging them tight. 'We'll miss you too.' my grandfather says, hugging me to him tight. Coffee and peppermint. I loved it. 'We'll see you soon, baby.' Nana hugs me next and I sniffle and nod.

I was an emotional wreck. These days were starting to wear on me in a bad way. Grandparents leaving, Brent trying to start a fight with temperamental body builders, Quil getting sick, my attraction to Paul. I had to find a way to deal with it that did not involve me reclusing (was that a thing?) and becoming a freaking idiot.

I watch the door shut and stare out the window as two of my favorite people get into my parents' car and watch it drive away. I pout again and pull my phone out, dialing Quil's number. Two rings then voicemail. I toss my phone onto the couch and drop down on it. 'Dammit all.' I groan and cover my face with my arm.

Apparently I'd fallen asleep because when I opened my eyes it was dark. Why had I woken up? I hear a muffled noise and shift. My phone was singing. I knew that ringtone, but I hadn't heard it in a while. Who did it belong to? I reach under me and grab for it. 'Ello?' I mutter tiredly. 'What's wrong with you?' I hear a somewhat familiar voice ask. 'Who's this?' I ask. 'It's Jake.' the voice says and I sit up and frown.

I look around and see everyone must have gone to sleep and let me sleep on the couch. All the lights were off and I could hear soft snores coming from upstairs. 'Why the hell are you calling me?' I grind out. 'I wanted to make sure your car was working okay.' he says. 'It's fine, but you shouldn't have.' I mutter. 'I don't want you getting stranded somewhere where you can't get help. Now I know you'll be safe.' he says.

'Don't say shit like that if you don't fucking mean it!' I snap and see a light click on upstairs. 'Stop playing games, I'm tired of it. And don't you even think about stealing Quil! It'll ruin us!' I snap and hang up. I look over as dad walks down the stairs and let out a breath.

'What's wrong, baby?' he asks gently. 'Quil's sick...I'm worried about it.' I admit and he sighs. 'Do you think...' he trails off and I look down. 'I don't know.' I mumble and he nods. 'Get some rest. You'll need it. Do you...want to stay home tomorrow?' he asks and I glance up. I did. Hell, I deserved it, right? A day of rest from the chaos that was school? Not very responsible, but he offered!

'Yeah.' I finally say and he nods. I smile and drop back on the couch. I was gonna sleep in and I was gonna enjoy it, dang it! I curl up on the couch and he leans down, kissing my forehead. 'Love you, baby.' he says. 'Love you too, daddy.' I say and he walks back up the stairs and with a sigh close my eyes again, ready to forget my troubles with a day of rest.

Wednesday went by pretty fast. I slept for half of it, which convinced mom I really did need to stay home. The other half I spent watching all my old cartoons on VHS. Scooby-Doo, CatDog, Ahh! Monsters, Angry Beavers. I hoped it'd make me feel a bit better, but it just made me wish I was a kid again, when I still had all my friends. It made me feel worse.

When dinner time came around and mom offered me food, I turned it down. I was really worried about Quil and despite my anger towards Jake, I felt guilty for snapping at him like I did. I missed him. I missed Embry. But they left us. Just abandoned us. They couldn't just get away with it and pretend like things were fine again. We all knew they weren't.

Thursday morning was torture and most definitely not welcome. I had kept my fingers crossed the whole drive to school that Quil would magically show up. That I wouldn't be alone. When I pullee in, I searched for my friends' cars. Quil's car was missing. Big shocker. Gracie wasn't at school again, either, and I couldn't help but wonder if the Uley cult stole two more of my best friends. California was starting to sound real nice.

I head to homeroom and am surprised when nobody from the cult showed up. I could feel a slight longing and I realize I was upset Paul wouldn't be here today. The day dragged on and was boring. Friday wasn't much better. I'd tried calling Gracie and Quil several times and neither answered. I was thankful the weekend was here, but I didn't know what I'd be doing. Now that all my friends were ignoring me, I'd probably just be chilling alone. Brent was driving down to Seattle for the weekend and my parents worked. I was alone, alone.

Saturday was spent doing any homework that was due the next week. I also did laundry and cleaned my room. By the time night rolled around, I wasn't hungry again and had sprawled on my bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

Sunday I spent playing video games...alone. I decided when I got bored of that, that I didn't like being alone. I needed to get at least one of my friends back. He couldn't have all of them. I would confront Quil if I saw him tomorrow. I'd tell him he was better than this. I'd scratch and fight and bite and do whatever it took. I was even willing to drop some tears in there. They wouldn't be fake. I'd felt the urge to cry since Thursday. I wanted my old, uncomplicated life back.

So, here I was, Sunday night, all alone and crying into my pillow when I hear a knock on the front door. Brent wasn't supposed to return for a few hours and why would he knock, anyway? I slowly sit up and peek around the corner. Who would be coming here? They all abandoned me.

I check my reflection in the mirror and head to the door. I slowly open it and find ugly stick Swan standing there. 'Is...Jake here?' she asks. I glare at her and pull the door closer to my body. 'Jake has new friends now. He doesn't have time for the likes of you or me.' I say sharply. 'So, he's not sick anymore.' she says. I roll my eyes and sigh.

'Man, you really are dumb.' I say and her eyes widen. 'Go home, Bella. The Jacob we knew is gone. We'll never see him again. It's no use fighting it. He's Sam's now.' I say and go to shut my door. 'What if I confronted him?' she asks. 'Go ahead. I'll speak at your funeral.' I say and her eyes widen. 'He's that bad?' she gasps.

'He may not be, but the rest of that group together sure as hell is. I'm only telling you this because Jake liked you so much. Stay the fuck away from them...for your own safety. Find some other poor boy to torture. I honestly don't see what they see in you.' I sigh and her jaw drops. 'Have I done something to you personally?' she asks and I toss the door open again. I was tired of this conversation and of her. Something about this girl rubbed me the wrong way and I was going to let her know one way or another to leave me alone.

'Get the fuck off my porch!' I snap and she backs up fast. 'S-sorry.' she says and climbs into her orange truck. I watch her back out of my driveway and hear a howl in the trees. I back into the house and slam the door, annoyed. 'Fucking Bella Swan. Who the fuck does she think she is coming to my house to talk about my ex best friend? Huh?' I was pissed. I start pacing and shake my head. 'Dammit.' I glare and tug at my hair. I storm upstairs, tossing myself on my bed and letting a fresh wave of tears release. _Life isn't fair._

Monday morning and Paul, Jared, and Embry were back. No Quil, no Gracie, and no Jake. I was getting more and more upset. It just wasn't fair. To my surprise, the three sat closer to me this time. I actively ignored them, checking my homework and fixing my small mistakes. 'Jacob?' the teacher asks for role call. 'Not here, sir.' Embry quips. 'Again, huh?' the teacher mutters and moves on.

'Jade?' he asks. 'Unfortunately.' I mutter. He sends me a look and I resist the urge to roll my eyes. 'I have no new updates for you. I just want to warn you again to stay away from the woods on your own as there is a bear or wild animal out there. It's very dangerous.' he says and I scribble on my piece of paper, annoyed. 'Okay, talk among yourselves.' the teacher waves both hands and I put my earbuds in. I continue scribbling when I feel a hand on my shoulder.

I look back, surprised. Who was gonna try to talk to me now? Paul was sitting there, and when I turn around he smiles gently. 'What?' I mutter, and his smile drops slightly. 'Are you okay?' he asks. 'You ask me that a lot.' I notice. He's silent and I shake my head. 'No, I'm not...because your group is stealing my last two best friends. It's not fair. What do you even want with Gracie and Quil?' I glare. 'It's...complicated.' he says.

'Uncomplicate it.' I order. Yes, I knew that wasn't a word, but I didn't care. I glare and he winces and runs a hand through his hair. It was then that I realized just how tired he looked and I feel a stubborn flash of concern. Why did I care if he looked tired or not? He was the enemy. He didn't deserve my concern. 'I wish I could, I'm under orders, though.' he tries to explain, dragging me from my traitorous thoughts.

'Obedient, huh? Then stop trying to be my friend. I don't want to have anything to do with any of you until I get answers. How's that for okay?' I order, feeling my anger flare up again. Goodbye concern! I grab my bag and stand up. I couldn't last another minute in his presence, and yet I couldn't help but look back. I could see the hurt in his eyes, and I had to resist the urge to go back and promise I didn't hate him.

I step out of the room and head to the girl's bathroom. I missed Gracie. I missed Quil. I'd always had one of them or Embry or Jake to turn to, but now I had my pissed off brother and workaholic parents. I let the tears free and cover my face with my hands. This was beyond out of hand, and I had no idea how to take control again.

There's a soft knock on the stall door and I wipe at my tears and open the door. Kim stood there. 'Hi.' she whispers and I look down. 'I know what you're going through. It'll get better. I promise.' she says. 'I don't remember you losing all your friends to a cult.' I say. 'They're more of a pack.' she says. I stay quiet and she looks down. 'Just hang on a little longer.' she says and walks out. I glare after her then sigh. I had to get through the day, and then I could go home and do my homework then pass out.

The day went by slow. It seemed to drag on. One minute took twenty, and an hour was a lifetime. I was out of it the whole day, too. I had spluttered over an answer to an obvious question in history when the teacher caught me dozing off. It was something I'd known pretty well, and the whole class got a laugh out of me for using a math term to answer. The teacher only shook her head with that horrible disappointed look before trying to spell it out for me. That didn't help with the snickers throughout the classroom.

It was the last class of the day, English, and I was beyond done. I had almost ditched, but that little voice in the back of my head reminded me to get through this and I may be awarded with a dog. One more period. I could do this.

When class was over, I realized that if every single day of the rest of my time in High School were like this, I'd be screwed. I'd never get higher than below average marks in any of the subjects and I'd become severely depressed. It took forever for me to get out of the parking lot, which only made me feel worse.

There that cult was, standing by Jared's truck. Laughing. Eating. Watching me struggle with my fucking backpack. How come I had to look like such a dope in front of them? Maybe that was why they started stealing my friends. The line to get out of the school was back far enough that it took me twenty minutes just to get to the stop sign a block away.

Usually Gracie, Quil and I chatted a bit before heading to our cars, so I hadn't ever had to deal with the system of getting away from the school as fast as possible. Things were just getting better and better. When I finally pulled down the driveway I noticed Brent's car wasn't there. Of course, the time I needed him and he was off doing something fun with the friends he still had.

I grumble to myself and stomp up the steps to my house, slamming the door shut behind me. 'Anyone home?' I call hopefully. Nothing. 'This is where a dog would be helpful and less lonely.' I mutter to myself and drop my book bag on the couch. I was gonna change into yoga pants and a huge, ugly sweatshirt and devour my homework.

If I couldn't pay attention in class I would have to make it up by excelling in my homework. Twenty minutes later and I realized that wasn't going to happen. I had no clue what the hell I was doing. 'Screw it.' I mutter, turning cartoons on. How proud my family would be.

Every day happened like that first for the next week. No Gracie. No Quil. There were always at least two of the group there each day, but never all of them. A week had passed before Quil was back in school. And just as I thought, he looked like he was part of Uley's Cult. No; Kim had called it his pack. Same fucking thing.

I had seen his car and a flash of hope had coursed through me as I got out of my own car. The guys usually went in Paul or Jared's truck. Maybe Quil really did just have a cold or mono or some shit. I step into the school and hear whispers. They were louder than usual and I feel my hope wash away. There he was, grinning with Jake and Embry, looking like a bodybuilder. They were the only other two who were here.

All three pairs of eyes are drawn to me and I shake my head and turn, walking away. I wasn't going to be near them. I could feel my heart breaking. It was not fair. I hoped that maybe Quil would follow and explain what the fuck happened, but I knew better. He wouldn't ever try to console me again, because he wasn't my Quil. He was a steroid induced follower. He was a lost puppy and Sam was his leader.

I watch my homeroom door and reach out then stop. Could I handle this? I felt like I was losing everything, but maybe that was good. I could focus on my studies and get that damn dog Brent promised to beg for. I take a deep breath and push in. A few students were there, but none of them seemed to notice me. Good.

I drop into my chair and start pulling my hair from it's side braid. I'd shove all of the clothes Gracie bought me into the back of my closet and never wear my hair in a side braid again. I wouldn't even look at the group until one of them explained what was going on. I knew that would probably be until graduation and I was out of this hell hole for good.

The thought of it being like that hurt. But fuck, I could do it. I didn't want to look desperate. The door opens and I see Quil, Embry and Jake enter. 'I see you were able to transfer homerooms.' the teacher mutters as he walks in. I don't look over as a deeper version of Quil's voice answers.

'Yeah, Sam figured it wasn't fair not having me with my best friends.' he says. I hold back a scoff but can't stop myself from shaking my head again. 'The only open seat is next to Jade.' the teacher says and I cringe. 'Oh.' Quil says slowly and a girl hops up. 'I'll move.' she says, smiling up at him suggestively. I roll my eyes and she drops into the seat next to me.

'You lost your chance with all your hot best friends. Sucks for you.' she leans over, sing/whispering. 'Why would I want them? They mean nothing.' I say coldly and her eyes widen. I knew if I looked back I'd feel guilty, whether they felt the blow or not. I was so softhearted sometimes. So, instead I just looked forward, pretending I didn't just say something that broke me inside.

When the day was over, I was struggling to leave so I could maybe be a bit further up in the long line of cars desperate to get the hell away from this school. Of course, luck would not be on my side, because I heard my voice being called. I glance back and find Quil winding his way through the crowd. I turn around and shove earbuds into my ears, walking faster.

'Wait, Jade.' I hear him practically beg as he got closer. He grabs my arm and I turn, slapping him. His eyes widen and I wince, holding my hand to my body. Why the hell did that hurt so bad? It didn't appear to hurt the girls in the movies. Damn, I had to be the fool bit by the unlucky bug. 'No.' I say to Quil and he looks down at me again, that haunted abused puppy look in his eyes. He'd gotten that look before he changed sides. I was familiar with it.

'Jade, please.' he begs. 'You can leave me the fuck alone. You promised.' I whisper and he looks down, the look only getting worse. 'Just hear me out...' he says. 'Gonna explain why suddenly I have no friends?' I ask sharply. 'We can't...tell you, yet...' he lets out a frustrated breath and I glance behind him to see Jake and Embry hovering, a somewhat hopeful look in their eyes. 'Well, don't talk to me until you can.' I mutter and pull my bag up higher.

'Wait, wait.' Quil groans and I let out an annoyed grunt and turn again. 'I'll find a way to tell you. Because I promised I wouldn't leave you. No matter how much I am ordered, I want to still be your best friend.' he says and I shake my head.

'You know that's not how it works, Quil. Once you're one of them, there's no going back to your old life. So enjoy this new one. I hope it's hell.' I snarl and turn, storming out. I walk over to my car and unlock it, beyond annoyed. Who could I go to? Who could I talk to? The only option I had was Bella, fucking, Swan.

I dig my phone out and dial. 'Hello?' she mutters. 'Listen, this isn't an agreement that makes us friends, I just want to tell stupid Sam Uley off.' I say. 'You'll come with me?' she asks hopefully. 'Wherever Jake is, the rest of this cult should be. I can hopefully talk some sense into the asshole that has taken all of my friends away.' I say. 'How about next Monday?' she offers. 'Yeah, meet you there.' I say.

_**Chapter four, everybody! Jade's mind wasn't much fun during this chapter. She's a little depressed and a lot bitter. There was a little Paul/Jade interaction, but she didn't really make it easy for the poor guy. I tried rewriting this chapter a few times, something about the flow just doesn't sit well with me. But, to get my point across the way I wanted, I couldn't change much. Next chapter should be better. Bye guys!**_


	5. Waltzing With Werewolves

_**Author's Note:**_

_**I know, it's been a week and I haven't updated! It was a really hectic week, I'm sorry. Thanks for all the reviews! I like to see how much everyone is enjoying my story! Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Also, thanks to everyone who is reading, following, favoriting and supporting this story in any way! You all rock. I really, really hope everyone enjoys this chapter. **_

_**Warning: This story contains Bella bashing. Jade does not like her and makes it very clear.**_

_**Disclaimer: Twilight and it's characters do not belong to me, but to the lovely Stephenie Meyer! Jade, super sweet Gracie, and awesome Brent do belong to meeee! **_

_**Enjoy**_

For the rest of the week, I had gone over and over in my head what I was going to say to Sam Uley. I wasn't the confrontation type, but dammit if I was gonna let this go without saying something. Anything. You never know until you tried, right? Right. Wrong. I couldn't do this.

Every time I thought about it, I felt sick and had to hide my phone to stop myself from calling Bella and telling her I wasn't going to go through with this. I had a bad feeling about it, though. There was something off about the whole situation. I was curious, and hurt but...was I brave enough to pull this off. No, I really wasn't. I know, lame, right?

Friday afternoon brought heavy rain which matched my mood. I was miserable. I couldn't go through with my original plan. I'd chickened out. I sigh as I walk out to my car after classes were over. I bitched and moaned about losing my friends to myself and anyone who would listen, but could I do one thing about it? No, of course not. I look around and find Quil, Jake, and Embry leaving, all smiles.

I look down, feeling even more disappointed in myself. I'd have to text Bella when I got home to tell her the plan was off. Damn, I'd receive shit from her, too. I get into the long line of crappy high school students eager to get away from this awful place for a weekend of fun.

I wouldn't be having a weekend of fun, I'd just be crying the whole time. For whatever reason, and it was completely random, I didn't go home right away. I drove around and found myself in the empty parking lot of La Push's only park. With those animal attacks, nobody wanted to take their kid anywhere outside, which was sad.

La Push was beautiful. The trees, the greenery, the beach. It all was amazing, and the fact that nobody felt safe enough to wander in it anymore was upsetting. It seemed strange, though. An animal has never come onto La Push and attacked people before. It had to be huge, and it had to be fast. It traveled back and forth between Forks and La Push, killing whatever it wanted.

I climb out of my car and wander over to the swing set. Why would a wild animal pick now and here of all places to show up? What were the chances? I start swinging and close my eyes. Higher and higher I went, trying to pretend my woes didn't exist. At one point, it felt true. That was until I felt the sensation of being watched.

When I opened my eyes, though, there was no one around. I slow myself down and stand up, staring into the trees, searching. The feeling was so intense, but for whatever reason it didn't feel hostile or dangerous. 'Hello?' I call out and mentally curse myself.

_Doesn't feel hostile, like you're some damn expert. Wise up, Jade. I'm sure plenty of people who are now dead didn't feel in danger either. _

Despite my inner warning to myself, I couldn't help but feel curious. If something was watching me, why hadn't it attacked yet? Maybe it was waiting for me to turn my back? Why would it care, if it was that hungry, it would have already attacked. Or if it felt threatened by me. 'Hello?' I call out again and step forward. Yup, I was the biggest idiot in the world. But, I was curious. I had to know. I glance over at my car then check my pocket for my phone.

'If someone's in there, I'm warning you...I'm coming in.' I say and walk forward. My heart was pounding. Here I was, not brave enough to face a man who, so far, hadn't shown signs of hurting a fly, but I could waltz into the woods where I felt like I was being watched? Okay, it wasn't a waltz. It was me stumbling over my own feet, breathing heavy, feeling like I was gonna have a heart attack, but still taking baby steps forward.

I make it under the trees and the rain eases up, being blocked by all the trees and leaves. I stare ahead, waiting for my eyes to adjust. When they did, all I could see was trees and underbrush. 'See, no one here. Turn around, and walk away.' I say to myself, shaking like a leaf. I was scared again. I was being watched, still. I could feel it.

I gulp and turn around, then hear a snap. I turn back around fast and see a woman, leaning against a tree. How she got there so fast, I didn't know. 'Hi.' she purrs and I gulp softly. Something was off about her. 'Hey.' I say weakly. 'Really coming down, huh? Do you like the rain?' she asks. 'Mmhmm.' I hum and take a step back. She was far enough away I could bolt and make it out of here alive. 'Me too.' she says and blinks slowly.

The way she watched me seemed almost...predatory. 'Yeah.' I take another step and she stands up straight. 'How old are you?' she asks. 'Me? I'm just a kid.' I squeak and she slowly smiles wide. My eyes widen and I stumble back a few steps. 'That doesn't answer my question.' she says.

_Oh my god. I'm gonna die by some pail, red headed, freaky chick. _I think, swallowing hard.

I don't know exactly what happened, but one minute she was a couple hundred feet away and the next she was in front of me. I yelp and fall back, eyes wide.

_What the hell?_

'So nice of them to leave me a snack.' she says and moves forward again. I whimper and push back, my feet slipping on the wet leaves. The woman was moving for me quicker now. I see a shadow run up behind her and suddenly some huge furry animal had it's whole mouth around her. She shrieks and the animal tosses her away and stands in front of me, growling.

'Oh god.' I gasp, staring up at the back of what appeared to be a giant wolf. Like, really giant. The woman hisses and then was gone. 'What the fuck?' I say and the wolf slowly turns around to look down at me. My eyes widen and I freeze up. 'Nice wolfy.'. I can't help but whisper, closing my eyes tight.

_Not a much better death. _

The wolf whines and I slowly open my eyes again, looking up at it. Why hadn't it eaten me yet? I was just sitting there, my pants soaked through, nothing around me to protect myself. He had a clear shot. Maybe I wasn't his type. Yeah right! Since when did animals have a type of food they wanted? Food was food. I gulp and slowly push myself up. The wolf nudges me and I scream and back up, hitting the ground again. It instantly crouches and I struggle to push myself away.

'Don't eat me! I don't taste good.' I beg and hear a soft bark. I look behind the silver/gray wolf in front of me and see a black and russet colored wolf behind him. 'Oh, god. You were just waiting for your friends to eat me.' I gasp and the black wolf steps forward, growling.

I tense up, waiting for it to pounce, but to my surprise, the gray/silver wolf steps back and whines softly, lying down. I watch it then look to the black wolf who steps back again and sits. The russet wolf does the same and tilts it's head, ears lying flat. Was it just me, or were these wolves acting like house pets? 'If you're not gonna eat me...I'm gonna go now.' I can't help but whisper.

_You're an idiot, Jade. _I think to myself and push myself up.

I slowly back away and can't help but sigh in relief when the wolves don't follow. I stand a few feet away from them and go to turn then stop. If they weren't going to hurt me, did that mean they weren't the animals killing people? Then what were they? Just mutated wolves that liked to protect idiotic girls from freaky fast women? I watch the silver one who was staring at me intently. He whines and drops his face to the ground.

'You guys...aren't the bad guys.' I say and his head lifts and his ears fly up. I shift and look to the other two. The black one stands and turns, padding into the trees. A soft bark from that same area had the russet colored one following, though he went slowly and kept his eyes on me the whole way. I look back to the one still lying down and glance behind me fast.

Were they surrounding me? How many more were there? Was there a whole pack here? If they weren't the ones killing people, what other damn animal out there was? The wolf stands up and moves forward slowly. I stare at it, still scared it was going to try to eat my face. When it got close enough, it crouched again, tail going down and ears flying back.

It was close, now. Five feet away. One leap and it could eat me whole. 'Oh god.' I whisper, taking a step back. He whines and I wince. I remember I had a half eaten granola bar in my pocket and slowly fish it out. The wolf stares at my hand then up to me. He sits and I let out a soft breath of a laugh.

Maybe somebody had a pack of wolves as pets and they just kept growing cause they got fed so well. 'Peace offering?' I offer, placing the granola bar on the ground and backing away. The wolf crouches forward and slowly licks it up. 'Good wolf.' I say as it looks back up at me. I back away again and glance back. I was close enough to the tree line, I could sprint. Nobody had ever seen the animal in person, so it probably wouldn't chase me that far out. I look to the wolf and turn, running out.

I stare into the trees, expecting to see a huge wolf diving for me, but was met with dark and silence. I let out a breath and turn around to see a woman and her child, staring at me weird. 'Don't go in there.' I say and the woman raises an eyebrow.

'What were you doing?' she asks. 'Uh...' I frown and look back. 'Dancing with wolves.' I say slowly, looking back at her. She rolls her eyes and mutters something about high teenagers. I frown but make my way back to the car. I drop in and shiver.

Now I had questions. Questions I didn't know who could answer. Quil's grandfather, Old Quil, was the smartest man I'd met. But I couldn't go to Quil's house so soon, and what if he was home? What if he told his grandpa what I said to him? I wasn't even that close with Old Quil, it'd be weird for me to show up. Who else was there? Jake's dad, Billy. He knew a lot, not as much as Old Quil, but still so much more than others. But once again, I couldn't go to Jake's house. That left one more person.

Harry Clearwater was friends with the group, but as far as I knew, his two children hadn't been sucked up into Sam's business. Besides, I hadn't spent time with Seth since I was in middle school. He was such a cute kid, and I could definitely use that bright smile of his. A smile like Seth's could brighten anyone's day. If I was lucky, Leah would be at the cafe, working.

Amazing how different siblings could be. Seth was the happiness person I knew, and Leah was such a downer. I star the care and realize my hands were shaking. I let out a breath and slowly pull away, sending the mother and her kid a look which I know she saw.

The drive to Harry and Sue Clearwater's house was short. They lived pretty close to town. I hadn't been to their house since I was in middle school, either, but everyone in La Push knew where everybody lived. It hadn't changed much. More flowers out front and an extra car, which I assumed was Leah's. I could see shoes piled on the front porch where I knew Sue enforced the kids taking their muddy shoes off.

Seth's large shoes were on top, soaking the rest. Even stuff like that seemed so adorable when it was him. I climb out of the car and slowly make my way up the steps. This felt so random, but I really needed answers. If this was a bust, I'd suck it up and go to Jake's dad, and if that didn't work out, I'd really suck it up and head to Old Quil's house.

I gulp and knock on the door. It opens after a minute and I see Seth's face peek out. It lights up with one of his famous smiles and I sigh and smile back. 'Hi Seth.' I say. 'Hey Jade!' he says excitedly. 'Is your dad home?' I ask. 'Yeah! Come in!' he grins and steps aside. I kick my shoes off and step inside.

It was warm in here and smelled amazing. 'Mom's been making a roast all day.' Seth sighs, taking a deep breath. 'Smells great.' I say. 'You can stay for dinner!' he gasps. 'Oh, no. It's okay. I just have to ask your dad a few questions.' I say, shifting nervously. 'Okay! Here, sit in front of the fire! I'll tell him you're here!' he grins and bounds up the stairs.

I smile and slowly kneel in front of the fire. I could feel my chill start to burn away, and realize I didn't know how cold I had been. I stare into the flames and let out a breath. The wolves couldn't be dangerous. They didn't hurt me. Didn't attempt to hurt me. 'Hello Jade.' I hear Harry's deep voice say and I turn and smile.

'Harry, hi.' I say. 'It's been a long time. What can I do for you?' he asks. I stand up and play with my fingers. 'I have some questions and...you were the only one I could think to come to.' I say. He smiles and nods. 'Come up to my office.' he offers and I follow him up the stairs. 'Finish your homework.' he says to Seth who pouts but nods. 'Okay.' he bounces into the living room and I smile. Such a good kid. I step into Harry's office and look around. It was nice and cozy.

'Here.' he pulls a folding chair away from the wall and places it next to his own at his desk. 'What'd you need to know? The boys giving you troubles again?' he asks. 'The boys...' I look down and realize the fiasco with the wolf made my problem with the boys seem minuscule. 'Somewhat, but that's not the problem. It might not even be a problem.' I admit and he tilts his head.

'Well, I guess it kind of is. I can't talk to them. Sam Uley has forbade them from speaking with me.' I say and he looks away instantly. 'I've heard. I'd thought maybe things had changed.' he sighs. 'Who told you?' I ask. 'Seth did.' he says and I look down. 'Well, because my friends are missing I've found other ways to entertain myself. I went to the park today.' I say and he frowns.

'That's dangerous, Jade.' he says. 'I know, and I was very dumb. I went into the woods because I thought I was being watched.' I sigh and blush. He was gonna think I was ill and send me away to a mental institute. 'And?' he asks, growing extremely serious.

'There was this woman there. With fiery red hair. She scared me, Harry. So much. And...don't think I'm crazy or anything, but one minute she was a couple hundred feet away and the next she was right there in my face talking about leaving a snack. And then it was like she was gonna eat me! She turns zombie on me! Before she could take a bite, this...this thing came from nowhere and wrapped it's teeth around her, tossing her away and she disappeared. She was scary fast, Harry, believe me.' I beg.

'I do, Jade. What happened next?' he asks, still as serious, but with some sympathy in his eyes. 'She was gone and I figured the wolf would try to eat me next but he just kind of...stared.' I sigh and shake my head. 'Thinking back now, it was kind of a magnificent moment. He was beautifully colored and seemed so harmless once she was gone. God, you probably think I'm crazy.' I mutter.

'Not at all. What color was he?' he asks. 'A silver-ish gray?' I sigh and lean back. 'Wolves are my favorite animal. I've always wanted to be that close to one, and even though they showed no sign of attacking, I ran away.' I sigh and shake my head, looking down at my feet. 'Once in a lifetime event, you know?' I ask, looking up. 'Possibly.' he says and I tilt my head.

'What do you think they are? They act so domesticated.' I say. 'You saw more than one?' he asks. 'Yeah, a black and russet one came out behind him. Seemed to just be watching.' I shrug. 'Hmm.' he leans back and stares out the window. 'You seem less than shocked about all this, Harry.' I realize, leaning forward to watch his reaction.

'I'm just taking it all in.' he looks down at me and I tilt my head. 'Or you already knew about them.' I say softly and he looks away again. 'No.' he says. 'Yes you do! Are they someone's pets! How come they knew to attack that woman and not me? Please, Harry. I came to you for answers! I really don't want to go to Billy or Old Quil.' I gasp, moving closer.

He sighs and shakes his head. 'It's not my place to tell.' he says. 'Who's is it?' I ask. 'Sam Uley.' he says and I drop back and frown. 'B-but...' I begin. 'I know.' he says and I look down at my hands. 'Can't you give me a hint?' I ask. 'Did you look into their eyes?' he asks. 'Maybe.' I frown. Why was he changing the subject?

'Think hard, did you?' he asks. 'I might have fleetingly, but you aren't supposed to look an animal in the eye or they could see it as a challenge.' I sigh. 'Did you...recognize the eyes at all?' he asks and I frown. 'Why would I?' I ask and he smiles. 'I've given you a hint. Once you realize what's happening, I suggest going to Sam.' he says. I sigh and nod slightly. It seemed I'd have to speak with Sam one way or another.

'I assume they aren't the ones attacking people.' I say as I stand up. 'They wouldn't ever hurt you or anyone else.' he assures. 'So...it's safe to wander?' I ask. 'I wouldn't go that far. There is something out there hurting and killing. No more trips to the park alone.' he says. 'Who else am I supposed to go with?' I ask. 'Brent.' he says and I sigh. 'Yeah, Brent.' I say and check my phone. He'd probably freak out at me for not coming straight home, unless he was out chilling with his own friends.

'Thanks Harry.' I say and we walk down the stairs. 'Keep thinking. You'll figure it out. Think of every possibility, and when one seems least likely, that's when you speak with Sam. Have a good weekend, Jade.' he says and I smile. 'You're leaving?' Seth scrambles up and my smile widens into a more real one. He was too happy, how could you not enjoy it? 'Yeah, gotta get home and do some homework and...studying.' I sigh. 'You could study here.' he says.

I smile again and reach out, ruffling his hair. 'Stay adorable, Seth. Don't ever let it go.' I say. He blushes and looks down. I grin again and grab my shoes off the front porch. 'I'll see you at school on Monday, okay?' I ask. 'Okay!' he says happily. I wave and jog out to my car. I drop in and start it up, sighing. I had a lot of thinking to do.

'Did you finish your homework?' Brent asks, knocking on my door frame. 'Why?' I mutter, looking over at him. 'Wanna go to Forks with me?' he asks. 'Why?' I sigh again. 'Just to get out of the house.' he says. 'You're meeting some friends and mom guilt tripped you into bringing me along.' I say. He shrugs and I shake my head.

'I've almost got something important figured out. I'll stay behind and pretend I'm still studying.' I say. 'You sure? You could make some new friends.' he says. 'I'm fine, Brent. Have fun.' I mutter. He sighs and walks all the way in. 'If they dumped you that quick, then how good of friends could they be?' he asks.

'They were great friends, Brent. Something...something is happening. I just have to figure it out.' I say. He sighs and pats my head gently. 'Make sure you eat something. Something healthy.' he says. 'You are absolutely no fun at all.' I murmur and he grins. 'Yeah.' he agrees and stands, walking out. I hear him chatting with mom and I sigh and stare at the ceiling again.

It was on the tip of my tongue. Something...magical? No, that didn't happen, despite all my wishes and dreams. Who didn't want Hogwarts to be real? Who didn't want to kiss a frog and have him turn into Prince Charming? It all seemed so much better with magic involved, which was why they were stories and this was reality. I grumble to myself and close my eyes.

I hear my phone go off and I look down at it. Seth. He sent me a text. I open it and frown.

Dad told me to ask if you knew about our legends? I read it and frown. Of course. All of us here did. They were popular.

Yeah, I do. Why? I respond and drop my phone on my lap. I stare ahead and my eyes narrow. Why would he bring it up unless it had to do with those wolves. But that meant...no, of course not.

No reason, I guess? I dunno, he's acting weird. Seth responds. I smile and shake out of my thoughts.

Thanks Seth :) I send back and chuckle. He really was the most adorable and happy kid ever.

See you on Monday! He responds and I drop my phone and lay back again.

I spent most of my Saturday thinking and trying to keep my thoughts from the impossible. Sure, Harry suggested that my wildest ideas was most likely the truth, but surely he didn't mean my best friends had turned into wolves. That was the most ridiculous thing I'd ever thought and was tempted to lock myself in a loony bin just for considering it.

Magic like that did not exist. Saturday night was spent tossing and turning. I didn't know what to think, what to say. I'd have to talk to Sam now, for sure. That meant I didn't have to cancel my plans with Swan. But then...if they were wolves, then I was putting her in danger, right? Well, honestly, that didn't bother me too much. Did that make me a horrible person? Yeah, it had to. But, the chances of them actually being wolves seemed to be about as big a chance as me winning Ms. America. None.

Sunday was spent scrambling to finish my homework while attempting to keep my mind off what Harry had told me. For whatever reason, I couldn't shake the thought that my boys were now wolves. But how could they be wolves? I'd seen them at school. They weren't hairy at school, any more so than usual, at least. Sunday night had me going to bed early. I needed sleep, Monday was gonna be rough.

_**Yay! Chapter five! Whoo! Jade was an idiot and almost got eaten by Victoria, who she assumes is a zombie. I think it's safe to say she's acting strange without her friends, but that will change soon...hopefully. Jade has now met some wolves! Can you guess which ones they were? I decided to toss some Harry Clearwater in there, give him some love. I always liked his character, and Seth too. Who doesn't love Seth and his adorableness? Well, till next time which should be in a few days at most. Hope you guys liked it!**_


	6. I'm Not Crazy, I'm Just A Little Unwell

_**Author's Note: I'm kinda disappointed in this chapter, but I'm posting it anyway. I may edit and change it later (probably will) but for now, I'm putting it up. I've been super duper sick for the past few days, so my judgement on what I'm writing is probably a little off. Anyway, thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and follows. You guys are all sooo super awesome!**_

_**Warning: There is plenty of Bella bashing in this story. Jade does not like her and makes it very clear. **_

_**Also, Jade has a very dirty mouth. She cusses a lot, even in her mind. What can I say? She's spunky.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of it's characters. They belong to the lovely Stephenie Meyer. Jade, her awesome best friend Gracie, and her super cool older brother Brent all belong to meeee!**_

_**Enjoy guys :) **_

I didn't sleep well. I'd had dreams of those wolves all night, and because of all mysterious talk about recognizing their eyes and the old wolf legends had me up almost every hour to shake myself. I was being ridiculous. I knew what I thought, and I also knew there was no damn chance. Or was there?

Had I looked into the closest wolf's eyes? Yes, I had. For a second. Who's eyes did they look like? Duh, of course. I'd recognize those eyes, because those eyes were what made my sudden crush to Paul appear. The wolf had Paul's eyes. Okay, now I was definitely going crazy.

When the clock hit five, I knew another hour of sleep would not make the difference today. I decided to get up and take a long shower and make myself an amazing lunch that I was sure I wouldn't eat much of. My imagination was going wild, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. My crazy guess was that all of my friends were turning into wolves and eating random zombie ladies in the forest.

The day dragged by. I had to drastically change what I planned on saying to Sam now. I was expecting to be surprised (only because my far out guess could never be scientifically correct) or in a psych ward tonight. I didn't know which I'd prefer, at this point.

I wasn't paying attention, but it seemed the teachers were used to this and stopped trying. I seriously needed to figure out a way to keep this stressful situation away from my studies, or I'd be doing this year over again. When the day was finally over, I realized the boys all weren't at school. Even Jake, Quil, and Embry weren't.

I knew Old Quil and Billy didn't like it when their boys skipped, so I could only assume Sam had pull over them, too. I get in the long line of cars to get away from the school and make my way to Jake's. When I arrived, Bella's truck was already there, but she wasn't still in it. The front door was wide open and I frown.

'This cannot be good.' I groan, climbing out of my car. I head over to the house and peek in. 'Billy?' I call. 'Out back! Quick, Jade.' he yells and I turn and run around the house. Bella was advancing on a group of half naked boys leaving the trees.

_How come they get to wander around the forest but I can't?_ I think to myself as I speed walk over towards them.

I wasn't gonna run for the dummy who thought she could do this alone. 'Bella!' I call and she turns and glares. 'Tell them.' she says. 'What the fuck are you doing?' I grind out, grabbing her arm and pulling her back slightly.

'Someone has to tell him off! Jake's afraid of him so he won't disobey!' she snaps. 'There are better ways at approaching this! You are one girl and that's five huge guys and...' I glance at Gracie, not sure what to describe her as. 'I dunno what the hell she is now. You're an idiot to think you can do this and if I let something happen to you, Jake would kill me himself. Back off.' I say.

'No!' she snaps and pushes past me, shoving Sam. 'Oh my god.' I whisper and Paul steps in front of Sam, glaring. 'Paul, that's enough!' Sam orders and Paul growls, backing off slightly. 'What did you do to him?' Bella orders, stepping forward again.

'You're so stupid.' I can't help but mutter, eyeing her closely. 'Jade! Defend Jacob for once in your life! Do something for him! He deserves it after all he's done for you!' she orders and I look at her fast, eyes wide. 'The fuck did you just say to me?' I order. 'You heard me! Don't be selfish. Help him.' she says and I advance on her.

_Fuck it. _

'Who the fuck do you think you are?' I order, shoving her. She gasps as she stumbles back. I step forward again, watching her angrily. She said I was the selfish one? She was the one who had been leading him on. She was the selfish one. I move even closer and she waves her arms blindly and I feel her hand lightly connect with my cheek in the lightest and girliest slap known to mankind.

I go to shove her again when there's a loud snarl and suddenly a wolf was advancing on us. I gasp as I stumble away a bit and fall on my back end. Bella yelps and turns, running away, not even looking back to see if my face was being eaten off. The fucking bitch left me without a second's thought.

The wolf moves forward and I realize it wasn't snarling at me at all, even though I was a closer target. It was crouching and ready to dive for Bella. But Bella wasn't as super fast as the red headed woman was.

_I'm so confused._ _Maybe it didn't see me because I stopped moving? Wait, no...that's a T-rex, you idiot. _I think to myself, struggling not to slap my forehead.

'Run faster, you skinny bitch!' I yell and see Jake hop out of the house. When did he learn parkour? The gray/silver wolf stops for a second and I see Bella waving. 'Jake! No! Run! Go back!' she yells and I watch him launch over her, changing to a wolf as he did.

'Oh shit.' I whisper. I wasn't crazy. Neither was Harry. This was the real deal. Bella yelps and crouches, turning around to watch the new mutated wolf that was facing off with the first mutant wolf. The gray/silver wolf steps in front of me, blocking my view of the Jake mutant wolf and I slowly back up, feeling a shiver make it's way through my body.

I hesitantly look over at Quil who grins slightly. 'Surprise.' he offers and I turn my attention back to the gray/silver wolf, which had to be Paul since he was the only one missing who was here a second ago, and the russet colored wolf start going at it. Those were two of the three wolves I'd encountered in the woods by the park. Paul and Jake were trying to protect me from that red headed woman. But why her? And how'd they know we'd both be there?

_I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell._

There was something wrong with my mind. There were two huge ass wolves wrestling in front of me and I was singing a song in my head about not being crazy. 'Ten bucks on Paul.' Quil says, tearing me from my thoughts. 'No way, you saw Jake's transformation. He's a natural.' Embry says.

'Take Bella and Jade to Emily's.' Sam orders as the fighting wolves flip through the air, their snarling and barking still just as intense as before. They crash into a tree and lock jaws on each other, struggling to get a good bite at each other and then they were gone. Poof. Sam waves to the boys left over and jogs into the woods, following the sounds of the fighting wolves.

'Guess the wolf's out of the bag.' Quil says, looking at Bella and I. These boys were literally were a pack of wolves. Or...boys that turned into wolves. And not normal wolves. These suckers were huge. Like...bear size huge. Did I say that already? I'll say it again. They were huge bear sized mutant wolves. Embry tugs me up into a hug and I push away instantly.

'You don't get to touch me.' I whisper and he looks away hurt. 'I'm not a monster.' he mutters. 'I don't fucking care what you are. I'm still really pissed off you left us.' I mumble and he pouts. 'I had to. I was following orders.' he whimpers. I shake my head and he slowly takes my keys. 'I wanted to drive her.' Quil whines.

'Go with Gracie, Bella, and Jared. You talked to her more recently.' Embry says and Jared nods and leads Bella away. She seemed to be taking this better than me and I wondered how when the wolf had been going for her, and not me. I'd even seen these damn wolves before her. How come she had a better hold on her sanity than I did? I knew first, dammit! The stance Paul had taken in front of me after Jake changed seemed...somewhat protective. I sigh as I drop into my car and stare ahead.

'You turn into wolves. You're a wolf. You're wolves.' I keep repeating and Embry chuckles. 'I know.' he says. 'Are you still my Embry?' I ask. 'I'll always be your Embry.' he says gently and I look over at him fast and feel the tears coming. I let out a soft sob and somehow wrap my arms around his big frame. I couldn't wait to hug Quil and Gracie, too.

_I got over that quickly. Maybe it'll hit me later. Maybe I knew ever since that text and I was finding ways to deny it. But, as long as they aren't dangerous, I don't think I'll have a problem. Stay strong, stay smart. Stay strong, stay smart. _I think to myself.

Honestly, I was just relieved I got to spend some time with my boys again. I know, I was that freaking desperate for their friendship again. I'd overlook the fact that they were something out of a fairy tail. Honestly, it was pretty cool. Here I'd been, thinking that kind of magic didn't exist. They sure proved me wrong. We arrive and Bella pokes her head out the window.

'I really think we should go back and check on Jake.' she says. 'He's got a hard head, he'll be fine.' I mutter, passing. I send her a nasty look and she winces and looks down, but gets out. Quil, Jared, and Embry all head inside and drop into chairs. 'Hi Emily.' they chorus and I feel a hand take mine. I turn and hug Gracie tight.

'I wanted to tell you. I'd been ordered to stay away from you as long as I had it in my mind to tell you, or find a way to let you know. I'm so glad I can finally talk to you again.' she says and I pull her tighter, feeling the tears come again. 'Hey! I want in on this!' I hear Quil call and we're both lifted up. I laugh and wrap my arm around him too.

Embry soon was joining in and I could hear Bella, Emily, and Jared talking. Jared didn't sound very kind and I was starting to tune in to enjoy it, but it was over as soon as I perked my ears. I'm put down and I nudge Embry. 'Jacob's right, you're good with weird.' Sam walks in and glances over at me. 'I'm sorry.' he adds and I cross my arms.

'Were you gonna just let me be miserable all by myself for the rest of my life?' I ask. 'Honestly, that as never a possibility. We just had to wait to make sure you'd...cope well. And...I didn't know Gracie would change. That's a, uh...a surprise to all of us.' he says and I wrap my arms around her waist, resting my head on her back. She was really tall, now.

'I won't forgive you easily, Mr. Uley. But, you guys turn into my favorite animal. I guess that gives you some brownie points.' I say. 'Brownies?' Jared looks over and I smile slightly, feeling shy. He nods with a grin and I hear some laughter outside. I slowly look over as Paul and Jake have a small shoving war and Jake leans against the door frame as Paul heads in. At Sam's look he nudges Bella.

'Sorry.' he says simply. Bella nods and I look over at Jake as he tilts his head to Bella. He glances up at me with a questioning look and I glare slightly. He thought I'd really want to go with them as he flirted some more with the obnoxious, ugly, pale faced girl? Fuck that.

'One second, Bella. I need to give Jade something.' Jake says. 'Nuh unh boy. I'm not taking anything from you.' I say and Gracie pushes me forward.

_Dammit, she's stronger than me now._

I huff but head outside after him and see Paul slowly stand up. Quil puts a hand on his shoulder and I glance back at them then up to Jake, raising both eyebrows. He grins his adorable Jake smile and I let out a breath, trying not to let him be forgiven so easily. It was hard, though, because Jake was like another brother and dammit did I miss him. He tugs me into him and wraps his arms around me tight.

I close my eyes and feel the tears coming again. I bang on his chest and he only holds me. I shove at him and struggle but in the end hug him back. 'I hate you, Jacob. So fucking much right now.' I say. 'I'll make it up to you.' he says. 'How do you plan on doing that? Taking time out of your busy Bella schedule?' I huff.

'I'll always have time for my best friend.' he says and I groan. 'You're all gushy and gross.' I say and he chuckles. 'You like it. You're not left out anymore. We're friends again. I promise.' he says. 'Good, take this damn fifty bucks.' I say. 'No way, I definitely owed you that piece and a lot more is coming your way. I broke your heart. Surprised you aren't in love with me.' he says.

'Fuck off, Jake.' I roll my eyes and wipe at them, trying to get the tears off my face. I didn't want to cry. 'I'm gonna try to fix things with Bella now, okay?' he asks. 'Don't you dare call me to whine about her later.' I warn and he grins. 'It's happening.' he says. 'I hate you.' I say again and we walk up the stairs, both smiling.

'Ready?' he asks Bella and she watches me then looks down and passes. 'Um...sorry about not offering to help.' she says. 'Yeah, no. Didn't really expect that from you.' I say and she watches me, obviously trying to figure out if it was an insult or a compliment. 'Right. Sorry about slapping you.' she says. 'You slapped me?' I frown and she swallows.

'Yeah, after you shoved me.' she says. 'Oh. You should work on that. You fight like a pussy.' I say and Jake glares. 'Stop it, Jade.' he says and I hear a deep growl. 'Whatever, c'mon Bella.' Jake leads her away and I roll my eyes. 'He's so whipped, it's upsetting. Oh, food!' I drop onto Gracie's lap and she grins. 'I'm eating here.' she says. 'So am I.' I say and grab a muffin.

'How are you doing, Jade?' Emily asks. 'Better now.' I admit. I hadn't seen her in a while, ever since she was attacked by an animal she kinda went into hiding. I couldn't help but wonder if one of the pack accidentally did it to her. 'So, did Swan hurt you?' Embry asks. 'No way. A five year old can hit harder than her!' I laugh and pick at my muffin.

'Why were you both here?' Quil asks. 'She wanted me here to talk to Jake. Said he'd have a harder time ignoring both of us. But, she was an idiot, as usual, and tried doing it on her own.' I say and look at Quil. It wasn't the whole truth, but now I was a little embarrassed with my whole plan. It seemed really stupid now that I looked back at it, even though I wasn't crazy and wasn't gonna end up in a loony bin. I was right, yay.

'Hey, I heard you got in a fight with Anna.' Quil says fast and I blush and shrug. 'No, not really.' I mumble and look down at my muffin. 'What happened?' Embry asks. 'She started talking shit about Brent and...I dunno, I went off. Felt good to get some anger out.' I say. 'What'd she say?' Gracie asks. 'That he was a cheater and a player and that he didn't care about girl's feelings and stuff like that. Which, isn't true! He's a good guy. And she was all upset that he caught her cheating and that's why he didn't call her when he was enlisted.' I say.

'He's back, right?' Gracie mumbles and I grin back at her. 'Did you want to see him?' I ask. 'No, you're still too new. You don't have a good enough hold on your emotions.' Sam says and she whines. 'What if I imprint?' she asks. 'Silence.' he orders and she grunts and it feels like she's pushed back into her chair. 'Oh, what's imprint?' I gasp. 'Nothing.' Quil and Embry say fast. I watch them then look to Jared who looks away.

My eyes move over to Paul and he shrugs and stares down at his plate. 'Fine.' I pout and eat at my muffin again. There's an awkward silence and I sigh. 'Can we start the conversation again? Please?' I ask. 'Gonna sit with us at lunch now?' Embry asks. 'I'm not sitting alone!' I say. 'Yeah, where have you been sitting?' he asks.

'My car.' I mutter and he pouts. 'Aww, honey.' he says. 'Shut up, Embry, before I kick your ass.' I glare. 'You could try!' he snorts. 'Wouldn't put it past her.' Quil says and Gracie shrugs. 'I could take you on for her.' she says. 'You guys gonna turn into wolves again? Does that hurt?' I ask. 'At first. Then it's just uncomfortable.' Embry shrugs. 'And then it becomes normal...feels right. Sometimes, the animal tries to take over.' Jared says.

'But wolves really aren't the most predatory animals out there. Like, if the animal took over the thing that pisses them off most is people intruding on their territory right? What's your territory?' I ask. 'La Push.' he says. 'So, humans living here would upset the animal.' I say. 'Not humans, vampires.' he shrugs and watch him then my eyes jump to Sam.

'What?' I ask. 'You didn't...hear Bella, Emily, and my conversation, did you?' Jared sighs and Sam closes his eyes. 'Wait, she knows about vampires?' I ask fast. 'She was dating one.' Quil says and I wrinkle my nose. 'But...they're like...dead.' I say slowly and they all burst out laughing.

'See, our girl has more common sense than Bella! She knows better than to get involved with some damn leech!' Quil whoops and I make a face and look back at Gracie. 'What does Jake see in her?' I whisper. 'I dunno, but with the mind connection while we're running, all we hear is him whining about her not calling.' she grunts.

'I wish Bella would call.' Quil mimics. 'I wish Bella would stop calling.' Paul joins in. 'Maybe I should call Bella.' Embry says and they all laugh. 'Ewe. So whipped!' I say and Jared grins, putting another muffin on my plate. 'Let's keep her around.' he says and I smile, feeling all my bad and depressed move flow away. This was definitely where I belonged.

_**Sooo, here's chapter six. Yes? No? Don't hate too much, please. The next chapter has some Paul/Jade bonding! I may even post that chapter later today! Yay. I know it seems I'm dragging this out, I wanted you to get to know part of Jade's character before diving into the romance. Although, Jade isn't necessarily acting herself cause she's all lonely and stuff. There is a lot of Jake/Jade friendship in this, by the way. They were super close before he changed, and they'll pretty much go back to normal now that she's part of the doggy secret. Hope you all liked it. **_


	7. One Of The Wolves

_**Author's Note: Yay! I've hit 21 reviews! I'm so glad you guys like this story. Special shout out to cullensrule yet again. You have been reviewing since the beginning, not that it was long ago, but I enjoy getting your opinion on each chapter I post! Thanks to those who have just found the story and reviewed it and all the favorites and follows! I love seeing that another person enjoys Jade's insert into the story line. Yay again! This chapter is Jade thrusting herself into the wolves lives at school and being a calmer, nicer version of herself. Somewhat. There's also some Paul/Jade in this chapter. We're finally getting down to it! **_

_**Warning: There is Bella bashing in this story. Jade does not like her and makes it very clear. **_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or it's characters. They belong to the lovely Stephenie Meyer. I do, however, own Jade, Gracie, and Brent. **_

_**Enjoy folks :)**_

The next morning, school was not nearly as painful as it had been for the past three weeks. Quil picked myself and Gracie up and the three of us were entering the school together. It felt like old times again. Sort of...except my friends were wolf/boys now. So, not exactly like old times. Like old times mixed with new times. Old school meets new school.

An arm slings over my shoulder and I look up at Paul surprised. 'Morning.' he winks and I swallow hard, struggling not to blush. 'Ever heard of personal space?' I ask and he shrugs. Apparently that was all the answer I was gonna get, so I just struggled to ignore the warm arm that was tugging me into the most attractive body I had ever encountered.

'Paul, stop being a horny bastard.' Gracie says. 'Hey.' he pouts and I chuckle and shake my head. 'Gotta go to my locker. Darn, it's the opposite way.' I say and he grins. 'I could walk you to your locker.' he says. 'Or not. Bye!' I wave and walk away. He chuckles and walks the other way and I look at Gracie. 'Aww, your cheeks are rosy. You have a crush on Paul.' she coos and I glare and punch her arm, then gasp.

'Ouchie.' I pout and she laughs. 'I'm all muscle now, honey. You can't abuse me anymore.' she says and we open our lockers. I feel arms wrap around my waist and I yelp as I'm spun around. 'Jacob Black, get your damn hands off me!' I yell, but can't help but laugh a bit. 'You don't know how much I've missed being able to talk to you.' he whines as he finally places me down. 'I do too! I went through the same hell, boy.' I point and he puts both hands up.

I grab my books and hear the whispers start up. There were two new recruits to the Uley Cult. Gracie and myself, the first girls to join since Kim started dating Jared. Why us, of all people? Well, the fuckers would never know. They could whisper all they wanted. Gracie, Jake and I all walk to homeroom and I realize Gracie was probably in our class now.

We step in and the whispering intensifies. I look over at Anna's seat and find a freshman sitting there instead. Must have traded her out. I go to drop into my normal seat when Embry snatches my wrist and tugs me to the back corner with the rest of them. Paul sits on the counter and pats the spot next to him. I roll my eyes slightly and settle with resting against a desk next to Quil.

'I'm the most adorable. Obviously. I'm the best looking in this form, so that transfers over.' he says and I shake my head. 'Pretty sure that's not true.' I say. 'Ouch.' he grins and Gracie laughs. 'I'm the most adorable because I'm smallest.' she says. 'That's not fair, you're a girl.' Quil points out earning a book hitting his head hard from me. 'Ouch!' he says again and I smile.

'I dunno, I'm pretty sure I'm the most adorable.' Jake says. 'No way, man. You're one of the biggest. It's me.' Embry says. 'What color are you?' I ask, looking down at my math homework and reading through it. 'Brown.' he says. 'You're not the most adorable.' I mumble. 'What? Because of my color?' he asks. 'Jeez, Embry. Don't you remember anything about her? Her favorite kind of wolf was a gray wolf. Therefore, I'm the cutest.' Gracie says, striking a pose.

'Well, actually...that'd make Paul the cutest. You're more white. He's a gray/silver color.' Jared speaks up and Gracie whines. 'That's not fair! But I'm the girl!' she says fast and I look over at her. 'I didn't know that.' I frown and her eyes narrow. 'Fine, bitch.' she huffs and crosses her arms. I grin and go back to reading over my homework. It was shit, I'd get a terrible grade. I wasn't able to concentrate as well yesterday, but right now I didn't give a damn.

The teacher walks in and looks over at us. 'Welcome, Gracie.' he mutters and she shrugs, hopping up on the counter next to Paul. Whispers again. 'By the way, Jade...detention.' he says. 'What for?' I ask. 'Fighting on school property.' he says. 'We were barely off school property because we were past the ditch!' I say. 'During school hours!' he says. 'It was lunch time!' I say. 'She had to transfer out of this class.' he says.

'Serves her right for messing with our girl.' Jake shrugs and the teacher's eyes widen. He sighs and shakes his head. 'Fine, we'll settle with a warning then.' he mutters and I slowly look over at Jake. 'How much pull does Sam exactly have on this school?' I ask. 'You really wanna know?' he grins and I groan. 'Unbelievable.' I mutter, looking over my homework again.

Kim sat next to me in math and for once I wasn't overly upset when she started talking to me after the test. 'So, you found out our secret.' she says and I nod slowly. 'Who changed in front of you?' she asks. 'Actually, they didn't change in front of me. They...interfered with a crazy lady who went zombie on me. At least that's what I thought at the time. I now realize she was a dead head. I assume it was Paul because as far as I know he's the only gray one in the pack.' I mumble softly. I didn't want people overhearing our conversation.

'What happened?' she asks. 'I wandered into the forest like a dumbass and one second she wasn't there, the next she was. And then one second she was far and the next she was close. And then...one second she was crouching over me ready to eat my brains and the next she was flying through the air being launched by the biggest fucking teeth I'd ever seen. And then two more joined, one being Jake. Then the last two left and I gave Paul half a granola bar so he wouldn't eat me.' I say.

'Did you figure it out before they changed in front of you?' she asks. 'I was in denial, but Harry pretty much spelled it out for me. I just didn't want to be in a loony bin, so I kept my thoughts to myself. I was gonna talk to Sam, confront him. All Harry's idea, cause I'm a wuss and wouldn't have let myself come to that conclusion.' I sigh. 'Why did Paul change?' she asks. 'I dunno. I was in the middle of a...well, I guess you could call it a fight with Bella Swan.' I roll my eyes and she smiles.

'Did she try to hit you?' she asks, knowingly. 'Yeah, actually.' I say and her smile widens. 'Okay, and yeah. Jake came running over and I saw him.' I say. 'He's beautifully colored, isn't he?' she asks. 'Paul's coat is much prettier.' I say. 'Have you seen Gracie?' she asks curiously. 'No, though she claims she's cutest.' I grin and she chuckles. 'I bet she is.' she says. 'Are you...' I begin then frown. 'No. I'm just dating Jared.' she says. 'Ah.' I say and shrug. When the class was over, we waved and parted ways.

Lunch came around and as I was heading there, that warm arm was around my shoulder. I look up at Paul surprised and frown. 'Are you stalking me or something?' I ask and he chuckles. 'You're one of us now. Figured I'd be a good welcoming committee.' he winks and I nod slowly.

'Oh.' I say and he grins and leads the way in. 'Dammit, don't people have anything better to do than point and whisper. Does that bother you guys?' I direct my attention towards Embry and he shrugs. 'You kinda tune them out knowing all their ideas are wrong. Plus, now everyone I care about knows my secret. I have no reason to care what others think about me.' he says and I pout, feeling my heart warm up.

I feel fingers on my sides and I squirm away from the fingers and Paul's arm. 'Jacob, I'm gonna freaking kill you one of these days!' I growl. 'Do a vamp a favor, eh?' Quil waggles his eyebrows and I hit him with my backpack hard. 'Damn, that's cold, girl.' he says and I roll my eyes. 'You guys are such idiots.' I sigh. 'But we're your idiots.' Jake and Quil sing, putting on innocent faces.

'Yeah, yeah. Whatever.' I say and we all get in line. 'You guys do realize you look like you're on steroids right?' I ask, leaning against the warm body behind me. 'Uh, yeah. Just lean into my space, girl.' I hear Jared say. 'Well, I needed a wall and you're close enough.' I shrug, not looking up. 'But that's my girlfriend's space.' he says and I shrug and turn, leaning against Gracie. She wraps her arms up around my shoulders and tugs me closer. 'I got ya, babe.' she says.

'I know we look like that, but we aren't...obviously.' Embry frowns, going back to our original conversation. 'Ah, but the flash tempers kinda rolls into that, too. Cause you guys have tempers.' I say and Quil shrugs. 'It's a work in progress.' he says. 'You know what else happens when you're on steroids?' I ask. 'What?' Jake rolls his eyes. 'Your dick shrinks.' I say simply and he frowns and shares a look with Quil.

'How do you even know that?' Embry asks. 'I'm an internet whore.' I shrug and grin. 'I guess girls are safer taking it cause we don't have that junk. So...the only one ever getting laid again in this group...is Gracie.' I say. 'But Jared has a girlfriend.' Embry points out. 'Jared!' I gasp and he frowns. 'What?' he asks warily.

'You're destroying poor innocent Kim's first time with a pin dick?' I ask and he glares. 'I'll have you know we've done it several times and she's been pleased.' he huffs and moves forward in the line. 'I guess the poor girl doesn't know any better.' I shrug and Gracie chuckles. 'You're gonna get your ass whooped.' she says. 'Okay, okay. But seriously...don't do drugs.' I warn and Quil, Embry, and Jake all roll their eyes. 'You're fucking weird.' Gracie mutters and I grin.

We get our food and head over to their table, which was now my table too, I guess, and drop down. The people around instantly started hoovering their food like it was going to disappear in seconds. Quil reaches for Jake's roll and a deep growl slowly emits from Jake's chest. My eyes widen and I look around at them again, eating slowly. The plates were practically licked clean in seconds and I could see their hungry gazes looking at the line.

'So, umm...' I say and notice Paul was the only one to look down at me. 'Who wants to share those metabolisms you guys got? Cause I could really use it.' I say. 'Shut up. You look fine the way you are.' Gracie mutters, her hand moving closer to my food. 'I wonder if you're saying that because you believe it or because you want my hamburger? Mine! Hey, you don't eat meat!' I snap.

'I sure do now.' she says. 'Damn wolves. No! I need my nutrients too. Eat the green beans.' I say and she devours them instantly. 'Damn wolves.' I mutter again and roll my eyes, taking a bite of the burger. All eyes were on me and I look around then swallow hard. 'How about...I start making lunches for you guys so you can have school lunch and homemade lunch, too?' I ask. 'Would you really?' Embry gasps.

'Dude, you're a keeper.' Jared says, eyes widening. 'I'm only doing it so you guys won't freaking watch me while I eat at the normal acceptable pace human beings are supposed to eat at.' I say, shaking my head. 'I bet Emily would help.' Paul mumbles. 'Does she cook a lot?' I ask.

'Yeah, Sam got himself a good one. She cooks great food and gives us feasts a few times a week.' Quil says, leaning back and grinning. 'So, the way to a wolf's heart is through his or her stomach?' I ask. 'Luckily, you're already in our hearts.' Jake says and I roll my eyes at him. 'Yeah, cause I got to you before your wolf genes did.' I mutter.

'Lucky for you!' he grins and I look down to find his hand reaching for my burger. 'No! Gracie, sick him!' I say and she growls. He growls back and my eyes widen. 'I was kidding, stop growling!' I say fast and Paul lets out the loudest growl. Jake and Gracie huff and look opposite ways. 'What the fuck, guys?' I ask, looking at Jake then Gracie. 'How come Paul's not in trouble?' Jake mutters.

'He got you guys to shut up, didn't he?' I snap and Jake watches me. 'I guess it is happening.' he says. 'What?' I ask and he suddenly grins. 'Let's go cliff diving.' he says. 'You're...weird.' I settle with and finish my food. 'After school, yeah? What do you say, guys? Quil and Gracie haven't done it, yet.' Jake says. 'Yes.' Embry and Jared high five and I feel Quil and Gracie's eyes on me, questioningly. 'I'll watch you show offs.' I say and Jake and Paul high five, now.

'I don't like that Quil and you are closer than we used to be.' Jake pouts. 'You replaced me first.' I take a sip of milk and he whines. 'That was different. I love Bella romantically, not like a sister.' he says, pouting. 'Brent never abandoned me for his girlfriends.' I say then gasp. 'Oh god, Brent. What the hell do I say to him when he finds out I'm talking to you guys?' I ask.

'I'm sure he'll be deployed here again soon.' Gracie mutters. 'No, he's on a long leave for PTSD.' I mutter. 'What for?' Jake frowns, concern in his eyes. 'Getting shot in the leg. Getting shot in the arm. His best friend dying in his arms. His plane crashing.' I say and shrug. 'I think that's it.' I say. 'That's it? Your brother's always been a tough son-of-a-bitch.' Paul says and I sigh. 'Yeah, well...he's kind of broken now.' I mutter. 'Well, maybe we can fix him. Sam and him used to be pretty close, right? Maybe he should be in on our secret.' Paul says.

I look at him hopefully and he meets eyes with me. I smile a thank you and a huge smile breaks out on his face. He looked extremely pleased for whatever reason. I look down then over to Jake who was frowning in thought. 'Don't hurt yourself, kid.' I say. 'Would it help or hurt?' he asks. 'Help. He hates you guys only because you...left me.' I wince and sigh. So shallow and vain. 'Let's leave it up to Sam. Maybe talk to Harry and Old Quil, too.' Jared suggests and I nod. 'Yeah, I could ask dad tonight.' Jake says.

'So, did you call Jade and whine about Bella last night?' Quil smirks. 'She fell asleep halfway through our conversation!' Jake pouts and I roll my eyes. 'You were describing her hair and I thought, huh...this is really interesting. You know what's even more interesting? Watching paint dry and grass grow. I was even tempted to go and watch a pot of water to see if it would boil while I watched it.' I say and he whines again. 'Why don't you like her?' he asks.

'She was hit with an ugly stick at birth.' Gracie supplies. 'She's in love with a dead thing.' I say. 'That drinks blood. He probably has HIV or AIDS.' Gracie says. 'She shows no emotion.' I say. 'She's a mouth breather!' Gracie imitates and Paul stands up.

'C'mon girls. Not a good place.' he says and I notice Jake's hands clenching into a fist. 'Right, picking fights with a werewolf. Doesn't get more badass than that.' I say and hop up. Gracie shrugs and follows and the three of us head out while the rest were left to calm Jake down. 'I wanna see Brent.' Gracie whines. 'Why?' I chuckle. 'You know why.' she says and I shake my head.

'You're too young for him.' I say. 'I don't look it anymore.' she says hopefully. 'It doesn't matter, Gracie. He knew you as a kid.' I mutter. 'Then I can just watch him and make sure nothing tries to hurt him ever again. Please? Can I come over after school?' she begs. 'You guys are going cliff diving after school.' I remind her and she whines. 'I bought you sexy clothes!' she says and I realize that caught Paul's attention.

'I didn't ask you to!' I say fast and she gives me some puppy dog eyes. 'Huh, you really perfected that.' I point, frowning slightly. 'Quil taught me.' she pouts and I nod. 'Doesn't matter. Sam said you couldn't.' I turn away, doing my best to resist those eyes. 'But, like...I could pick you up for school tomorrow!' she says and I sigh. 'Gracie, no.' I say and her head droops. I watch her walk slightly ahead and smile slightly. He was really angry lately, she'd thank me later.

'So, about these sexy clothes...' Paul says, shoving his hands into his pockets. 'Oh brother.' I mutter and open my locker. 'How come we haven't seen them?' he asks, ignoring my outburst. 'Because I locked anything having to do with Gracie and Quil away once I realized it was their turn to ignore me.' I mumble, grabbing my math book. He takes it and I frown as I glance back. He was just holding it, standing there. I slowly turn back around and grab my other two fatty books and he takes those too.

'All of this will give you a bad back.' he says and Gracie leans against the locker next to mine, grinning. She got over that fast. Talk about a hissy fit. 'Tell that to the teachers. Well, it was great chatting with you, I'm going to class.' I say and head over towards my next class.

'Oh, yeah...' he says slowly and gasps. 'Wait!' he moves forward and I frown. 'Here.' he holds the books out and I watch them then nod. 'Thanks.' I say and take them. Gracie steps up next to him and I turn, walking away again. I hear her giggle and can't help but look back to see her dancing around him, pointing and laughing. I smile slightly, glad she was over my refusal of her seeing Brent.

Gracie was squealing and fighting hard against Embry and Quil and I can't help but grin as I watch from down on the beach. Jake cheers and laughs, clapping, next to me. He'd called me a bitch, I'd called him a slut and things were good again. Gracie squeals again and giggles and I watch as a larger figure walks up behind her and grabs her waist. She looks back and Paul lifts her up and tosses her. She cheers the whole way down and I clap, laughing.

'I give her a ten!' I cheer as her head pokes up. 'I give her a nine. That was an iffy landing.' Jared laughs. 'It was pristine with more grace than you can manage, buffoon.' I grin and he shrugs, smiling. 'I give her a seven.' Jake says and I wave him away, shaking my head. 'You don't even know how to count.' I say and Gracie hops onto the beach, grinning. 'I feel awesome.' she says and we turn as Quil hops off and tugs his knees into his chest. He plugs his nose and I can't help but laugh at the huge splash he makes. He swims over and next it was Embry's turn.

'Aww, man. Has to show off.' I hear Jake mumble and I look to see Paul standing on the cliff facing backwards. 'Really?' Gracie sighs and he launches off. My eyes widen and I watch as he moves into the water smoothly. It really was impressive, but I'd never admit that out loud. Ever. 'So, um...why isn't Kim here?' I ask, looking at Jared. We sit down and I wrap the blanket around myself as he stretches out. 'Has Orchestra practice after school. I dunno.' he says. 'Oh, yeah. I heard she was pretty good with her Viola.' I shrug. 'It's a rich girl thing.' he mutters, though he was grinning.

'You're pretty smitten with her.' I say. 'More than that. I love her. With all my heart.' he looks up at the sky and his smile widens. Paul swims to the shore and waggles his eyebrows. 'Do I get a score?' he asks. 'Five.' Jake snorts. 'I dunno, man. That was pretty cool.' Embry says and turns to Paul. 'Ten.' he says. 'Ten.' Quil grins and Jared chuckles. 'Eight.' he says and Gracie shrugs. 'Ten.' she says.

They all look to me and I shrug. 'Nine.' I say and he pouts. 'Not a perfect score?' he asks. 'My darling Gracie got the only perfect score.' I say. 'What docked my score, then?' he grins, sitting in the sand across from me. 'Who were you showing off for?' I grin and he chuckles. 'You have a beautiful smile.' he says and I raise both eyebrows and tilt my head down slightly.

'What?' I ask, surprised. 'You heard me.' he says. 'Well, that doesn't answer my question.' I say. 'It hints.' he says. 'Hints what?' I was starting to get confused. 'Spell it out to her, she's blind.' Gracie grunts and I look at her annoyed. 'I guess it'll take a lot more than a daring jump to impress you, huh?' Paul smirks and leans forward. 'Me?' I frown and lean back slightly. 'See?' Gracie whispers and I send her a look.

My phone rings and I reach over and pick it up. 'Hi Brent.' I say. 'Where are you, kid?' he asks. 'I told you I was hanging out with some friends after school.' I say. 'Which friends?' he asks. 'Uh...' I wince and he sighs. 'Is it Quil and Gracie?' he asks. 'Yeah.' I say and he growls softly.

'Brent, Jesus. Calm down, what's wrong with you lately?' I order, standing up. I pull the blanket around me and hear him huff. 'I'm tired of you putting yourself through this.' he says. 'Yes, I know, but I'm me and you're you and you can't always protect me from everything. It's not always your job.' I mutter. 'The fuck it isn't! You are my baby sister, dammit! Now where the hell are you?' he roars.

'Please, Brent. Calm down. Stop yelling.' I beg softly. He groans and I frown. 'Brent?' I ask fast and hear him panting. The phone drops and my eyes widen. 'Brent! Pick up the phone! Brent, what's wrong? Are you hurt?' I gasp and hear him roar in pain. 'Brent. Jake! Jake, something's wrong.' I turn and he nods and explodes, running through the woods.

I put a hand to my forehead and try to dial Brent's number again, feeling the panic. 'It's okay, calm down.' Quil says fast, hopping up. He trips over the towel and face plants. If I weren't so stressed and worried about Brent, I would be laughing my ass off. 'It's not fucking okay, Quil! Brent's hurt!' I snap and fumble for my keys.

I hear a howling and everyone hops up and turns, looking into the woods. 'That doesn't sound very good.' Embry mutters, looking over to Paul and Jared. 'Take her to Sam and Emily's.' Paul turns to Quil and I feel a pang of fear hit me. 'Do you think...' I begin and stumble forward.

'You guys...' I say and feel myself start to fall. Paul catches my shoulders gently and smiles reassuringly. 'We'll handle whatever's happening. I promise, but you need to stay safe. And staying safe is staying away right now.' he says gently. I nod slowly and he does as well. 'Okay.' I whisper. Paul nods once more time before turning and exploding as he hit the tree line.

The rest of the boys follow and I wrap my arms around myself. Gracie brings her arm around my shoulders and leads me over to her car. 'It'll be all right. The boys will take care of him. C'mon, let's do some homework.' she murmurs soothingly.

_**Oooh, what's happening! Cliff hanger. Sorry. Got some shirtless Paul for everyone. Yes, you are allowed to drool. Sorry it took me a bit longer to post this chapter. Going through an emotional time, though that is definitely not an excuse. So, sorry again. Hope you enjoyed and happy holidays, everybody!**_


	8. Detention

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Soo sorry for the delay, guys. I intend on getting better at my updates once the holidays are good and over. Did everyone have a good New Year? Here's the next chapter. There's some flirting going on in this chapter. Whoo! Thanks to all who have reviewed, favorited, and followed. You guys are super awesome! Special thanks to Emzy2k11, Flowerchild23, elou88, hateme101, and cullensrule! You guys are all super duper incredibly fantastic! **_

_**Warning: This story contains Bella bashing, be warned. Jade does not like her, nor will she ever.**_

_**Disclaimer: As you all know, I do not own Twilight or any of it's characters. They belong to Stephenie Meyer. Jade, Gracie, and Brent do belong to me!**_

_**Enjoy :)**_

I groan and roll around on my couch. I couldn't take this much longer. Brent had disappeared. The guys wouldn't tell me what was up and only Quil, Jake, and Gracie were coming to school. Mom and dad had been informed by Sam what was happening but was advised not to tell me yet. I could only assume that meant he had turned into one those awesome wolves I hung out with, but then why wasn't I allowed to know yet?

'What's wrong with you?' I hear Gracie grunt as she walks into the house. 'Where's my brother?' I whine into the pillow. 'You'll see him tonight, calm down, jeez.' she mutters. I lift my head and peek over the couch. Quil, Embry, and Jake were with her. I smile and Jake chuckles, hopping over the couch. 'You gotta stop falling asleep on me.' he says.

'I don't want to hear about Bella Swan's captivating eyes. Even if I liked her I'd gag hearing you talk about her like that.' I huff. 'But you're my best friend!' he complains and I smile. 'Bitch, you wish. She's my best friend.' Gracie says. 'Guys, I'm pretty sure you're misinformed. She's my best friend.' Embry steps forward. 'All you bitches be crazy cause we're crazy tight! She's mine.' Quil says and I grin. It was nice to feel loved.

'She's not yours, Quil.' Jake says and Quil sends him a look. 'Right, cause she doesn't belong to anyone.' Embry says slowly, looking over at me. 'Damn right.' Gracie snaps and I roll my eyes. 'How do I get Bella to like me back?' Jake mutters, resting his head on my shoulder.

'Okay, first.' I say and he nods. 'Drive to her house.' I say. 'Okay.' he agrees. 'Knock on her door.' I say and he nods again. 'Wait for her to answer...' I eye him then grin. 'And tell her she got beat with an ugly stick.' I say and he growls and Quil, Embry and Gracie howl with laughter.

'What? I tell that to her all the time and she keeps coming back for more with me.' I say. He huffs and sits up. 'You're no use.' he says. 'I know.' I grin and he pouts. The phone rings and I launch over the couch and grab it. 'Hello?' I ask. 'Someone's eager to talk to me.' I hear Paul's cocky voice say. 'Is Brent okay?' I ask instantly and he chuckles.

'He's fine. Pissed at us, but he forgave us soon enough.' he says. 'So, I can come see him.' I say. 'Yes, you can come see him.' he says. I hang up happily and turn. 'Who's driving me to see my brother?' I ask and they all raise their hands. 'Then let's get a move on!' I say and run out of the house.

Fifteen minutes later and we were pulling into Sam and Emily's house. I jump out of the car and slip, hitting the ground hard. 'Owie.' I whine and Gracie points and laughs. 'Awesome biff!' she roars and I grab her jeans and tug, making her slip and fall. She hits the ground and laughs even harder. I slowly giggle then toss my head back and laugh with her.

The door opens and I look over and push myself up, slipping slightly. 'Brent!' I yell and he instantly grins. I tackle him into a hug and he wraps his arms around me, not budging. In fact, my nose hurt a bit from hitting his shoulder. 'You're okay. Oh man. I panicked when we were on the phone. I freaked out, like...' I stop as he chuckles and rubs my back.

'I knew there was something off with these guys.' he says. 'Well, now you're part of "these guys" so you'll have to deal.' I stick my tongue out and he rolls his eyes. 'I still want you to go to California.' he says. 'No freaking way. I just got my friends back.' I say, grabbing Embry and pouting. 'Okay, fine. But you have to be careful. No more midnight walks in the trees. No wandering around the beach alone. None of that shit.' he says.

'Oh jeez, can I at least go the bathroom alone?' I ask. 'I could assign someone to watch you then, too.' he says. 'For the record, if it comes to that, I'm finding a way to kill you.' I say simply and he smirks. I glance at Gracie and she winks. 'I'll take care of it, if it comes to that.' she says.

'Killing him, right? Cause you watching me while I pee is a bit weird.' I say. 'I thought it was kinky.' she says and Brent sighs. 'Didn't miss this.' he says. 'Shut up! Yes you did.' Gracie scoffs and shakes her head. 'So, you didn't imprint on each other, then.' Jake mutters, stepping forward. 'No.' Gracie says and shrugs. 'Maybe girls can't imprint.' she says.

I pout and cross my arms. 'I don't know what that is!' I whine. 'Good.' Brent mutters and runs a hand through his short hair. 'So...since you guys all had long hair, when you changed did you look like show dogs with hormone injections?' I ask. 'I was beautiful, but they kept getting matted.' Gracie mumbles, tugging at a strand of short hair. 'Whatever, you were planning on cutting it all off soon anyway.' I say. 'Shh!' she says and Embry laughs.

'Then why did you make such a fuss about us cutting it all off?' he asks. 'Because it's not pretty the way you cut it!' she snaps and I look up at her hair. 'I can fix it. It'll be different, the short in the back and longer in the front. But, it's better than it looking like a three year old got a hold of scissors.' I say. 'Did you just call us three?' Quil wails while Jake fakes a pout.

'Damn right I did! Then again, in dog years it might be a legitimate age.' I snort and Jake moves faster than I'd seen and had me up in his arms. I laugh and struggle to push away. 'Brent! Save the baby sister! Get him!' I call. We're both tackled and I gasp as I hit the ground hard.

'Not so rough, jackass!' I call and Brent glares over at me. 'You asked for my help, you brat.' he says and I wave him off. I push myself up and look to see Jared, Sam, and Paul in the doorway. 'We have another female in our ranks. Care to meet her?' Sam asks. 'As in...female wolf?' I ask and he nods warily. 'Depends, who is it?' I ask. 'Leah Clearwater.' Gracie grumbles.

'Oh, whoa.' I wince and watch Sam then look over at Quil who shrugs. 'Yeah, no...that actually sounds really awkward so...' I shrug and glance at Gracie again for help. 'She might...get along with you.' Sam now sounded hopeful. 'Yeah...really, no.' I wince and look to Paul for help. 'Maybe she should wait.' he says, instantly jumping to my defense.

'Leah needs a distraction and...Jade is good at distracting.' Sam mutters. He was now desperate. 'She doesn't want to.' Paul growls and I sigh. 'No, no. It's...fine. I demand a protector, though...like...Jake.' I say. 'Not your best plan.' Jake chuckles and I frown. 'You're an idiot. Quil...er, Embry!' I say. 'Protector?' Embry frowns and I glare.

'You guys are horrible friends.' I say. 'I-I'll come.' Brent stutters and I frown. Gracie huffs and looks at me. 'Maybe Paul should. They have...similar attitudes.' she offers. 'No, that's not a good idea.' Quil says fast. 'Oh my, god, guys. Calm the hell down! This isn't a life changing decision!' I say, rolling my eyes as everyone starts conversing.

'I'll go alone.' I add, looking to Sam. 'Jared...' Sam says and everyone whines. 'Yeah, cool. She might like you.' he says and motions to the trees. 'Oh yeah? And pigs can fly.' I mutter, shoving my hands into my pockets and heading in the direction he pointed. 'You never know. There are vampires and werewolves...it could happen.' he says and I snort.

'You're a glass half full kind of guy, aren't you?' I ask. 'Depends on the glass.' he says and I roll my eyes. We walk in silence and I hear growling. 'Are there...two?' I ask. 'Seth changed too.' he says. 'Not poor little innocent Seth!' I gasp and he nods. We step into a clearing and they both look over. I could instantly tell the brown one was Seth by the big doggy grin he sent us.

'Hey Seth.' I can't help but chuckle and look down. He wags his tail and bounces around. 'Okay, he wins the adorable argument.' I mutter, leaning in closer to Jared. He grins and looks to Leah who was just watching us, her eyes intense.

'Hey, Leah.' I say and her eyes harden. I bite my lower lip and shift. She slowly turns and pads into the trees and I wince. 'Did I...' I begin, but Jared shakes his head. Seth stumbles over his big paws into the trees as well and came stumbling out wearing only shorts.

'Hi Jade!' he says and pulls me into a hug. 'Oh man, you're so cute!' I say, looking up at him. He blushes and turns away, appearing bashful. I chuckle and Leah walks out. 'Jade.' she greets and I feel my eyes light up. 'So, you're a wolf now.' I say and she rolls her eyes. 'No shit.' she grumbles. 'At least you aren't the only female.' I say.

'Gracie isn't my kind of female friend.' she mutters coldly. 'Yeah, she's an idiot. But...so are the rest of the guys so...kinda fitting?' I ask and she eyes me then cracks the smallest of the small grins. 'Yeah.' she agrees and I nod. 'Well, I'm not a wolf therefore I am not grouped into the boy group of idiots. Sometimes a girl friend who isn't into that shitty shopping and...uh, shit, is kinda nice.' I say.

'What are the chances of me seeing you and not seeing one of the bone heads?' she asks. 'I could have Brent scare them away.' I offer. 'Brent's your brother?' she asks fast and I see her cheeks warm up. 'Uh, yeah.' I frown and she swallows hard. 'He's, uh...cool.' she says and I nod. 'Yeah...' I say slowly. 'That's...cool.' she says and I resist the urge to grin. She liked him.

'Yeah, he's a good guy. The best guy I've ever known.' I say and she looks down. 'Oh yeah?' she asks. 'Mmhmm. He's not really that big of an idiot if you need someone to talk to about wolfy stuff, but don't want to deal with Jake's whining about fucking Bella.' I say. That earned a pretty wide smile. 'Don't you call her ugly stick Bella?' she asks.

'Eh, it switches off a lot.' I shrug and she nods. 'You're okay...' she says. 'I think you're better than okay.' I grin back and she nods slowly. 'We should go. C'mon Seth.' she says. 'Bye Jade!' he waves happily and stumbles after his sister. I look up at Jared who grins. 'You catch on quick. Leah and Brent...' he stops and sighs. 'Care for each other.' he says.

We start walking back and a gray/silver wolf meets us halfway. 'It went well, Paul. Calm down. You lost your place in the adorable ladder.' Jared smirks and walks on. This was the first time I'd been close to Paul when he was a wolf since he went after Bella. Paul turns his head and I continue walking, him walking slowly next to me.

The walk was, of course, silent, but I couldn't help but notice how close Paul got to me. The warmth from his fur prickled my skin and I was resisting the urge to bury my nose into his fur and snuggle in for good. He had a different feel to him than he did the last two times I'd encountered him. He'd been ready to fight both times, it seemed. Now he was just...calm.

'Can I touch you?' I ask and blush. That could sound so wrong and dirty. He stops walking and sits and I watch his muzzle. I smile as I look into his eyes and he drops his head slightly. I reach up and pet behind an ear and he moves closer into me, closing his eyes. I smile and reach my other hand up, scrubbing behind both ears. His face was pressed against my stomach and chest and I couldn't help but smile wider. Such a dog thing to do, and yet this was an eighteen year old boy.

'Gag.' I hear and look over to see Gracie. 'Like I haven't snuggled with you before, bitch.' I chuckle, pulling my hands back. Paul glares over at her and I walk over to her. 'So, you two get along? Gonna replace me now?' she sniffs, crossing her arms. 'Shut up, Gracie.' I sigh, shaking my head. 'I will not!' she snaps and stomps her foot. I nod and shrug. I was used to her little spurts of childish tantrums.

I walk past her and this earned a whine. 'Don't replace me! I'll be more like her!' she groans. 'I like you the way you are. I can have another friend, can't I? Plus, apparently she likes Brent, and I could tell he liked her back. That means she'll probably be around a lot.' I say and she whines again. 'It's not fair! I've liked Brent since I met him.' she says. 'Give it up.' I say and head inside.

Paul comes jogging up. 'Nice nails.' he says, dropping into a seat. I look down at my long nails and glance up at Gracie. 'He's right. Those are amazing.' she says and I grin and drop into the seat between her and Paul.

'So, it went well.' Sam says and Emily looks over at me hopefully. 'Uh, yeah. I think so. Seth's so young.' I say and Sam sighs. 'Yes, it was unexpected but...when Harry had a heart attack, I think the emotion sent them both over.' he says.

'Harry had a heart attack?' I ask fast. Sam sends Gracie and Quil harsh looks and they both gulp and look down. 'We forgot.' they whisper. 'Assholes.' I mutter. 'Be nice.' Brent orders and I stick my tongue out. 'How was she?' he asks. 'Who?' I frown. 'Leah.' he says.

I raise both eyebrows and tilt my head. He blushes and looks down and I grin down into my food. 'That's a pretty sudden attraction.' I say and he glares. 'Shut up.' he says. 'Just saying.' I say. 'Drop it.' he growls and I huff but nudge Gracie who was pouting into her food. She was such a child.

'Did you know Bella jumped off a cliff?' Quil asks fast. 'What?' I ask excitedly. Jake glares and crosses his arms. 'Did she die?' I ask. 'No, Jake saved her. We were chasing a bad bloodsucker.' Paul stabs his chicken hard and I raise both eyebrows. 'That chicken didn't hurt you.' I say and he smirks.

'Well, where'd Bella go then? You just left her alone to catch hypothermia?' I ask Jake and he clenches his jaw. 'The ex must have shown up, was that it?' I ask. 'Close, his sister.' he says. 'Poor baby.' I coo, feeling somewhat sympathetic for him. I hated Bella but only because of the way she treated my poor Jake. 'Don't antagonize me.' he says. 'I'm not, Jake. It's not fair.' I say softly and he drops his head.  
>'Why didn't you call me?' I ask fast and he shrugs. 'I didn't think you'd want to hear.' he says. 'Shut up. You know I care about everything you say.' I say. He sighs and his head hits the table. 'Tell me that now.' he mutters and I sigh. 'Don't be dramatic.' I say and start eating.<p>

'How come you never call any of us?' Quil asks, frowning. 'Because you're not Jade.' Jake says simply and I smile wide over at Quil. I loved to rub it in their faces that I was the favorite. I didn't know why, I thought I was just a big pain in the ass. 'She's not sympathetic, though!' Embry says. There was that, too. Seriously, why was I a favorite?

'She's a lot fucking better than you two.' Jake growls and Quil opens his mouth. I hold a hand up and shake my head and he sighs and falls silent. When Jake cussed, shit was getting real. He must be in a terrible mood. Something I could and would blame on Bella Swan. Damn her, ruining moods even when she wasn't around. How did one person have so much power over things that really shouldn't have anything to do with them at all? Not fair.

Everyone eats silently and Jake's phone makes a noise. He pulls it out and whines, handing it to me. I take it and read through the three page long text. I could feel my anger growing as it went, too. So, her boyfriend was back. She'd gone to Italy to save him.

She wanted to talk to Jake about what happened. She was sorry she left the way she did. Sorry she yelled at him after he saved her life. Yada, yada, yada. I hand the phone back and stare down at the table. 'Well?' he asks. I shrug. 'I bet you anything anywhere she goes he'll follow. Bring a friend.' I say. 'You?' he asks and I laugh.

'No freaking way, Jake. I want to help you, and trying to kill the bitch won't be helping you. All this fuss over one person. If I ever cause this much trouble, I vote you just send me to Antarctica.' I say. 'You never would cause this much trouble.' Jake huffs and I smile.

'You do care!' I say and he rolls his eyes. 'Gracie?' he asks and she stares at her plate then looks down at me. 'I guess I don't have the same rage deep inside me like she does. But if the bitch insults Jade, insults you, or that damn leech makes a move, shit's going down.' she says. He nods and smiles relieved. 'Thank you.' he says and I start eating again.

'Jade got asked out.' Quil blurts and I look up at him fast, annoyed. Paul growls next to me and starts shaking and I look up at him surprised. 'Who?' Brent growls and notice him growling as well. 'Umm, a senior.' I say softly. 'And?' Paul snarls. 'Well, I said no.' I say softly, looking up at him nervously.

I look to Brent and see him struggling to calm down. 'Why?' he orders, his voice still sharp. 'B-because I've never seen him before, so I have no idea what he's like.' I say slowly. Brent calms down and frowns.

'Remember how I said to give everyone a chance?' he asks and I nod, eyeing his hands that were slowly releasing. 'I was lying. I'll let you know if he's safe or not.' he says. 'B-but...' I begin and he glares. 'End of story!' he says and I whine. 'Sam.' I say and he shrugs. 'His emotions are running high.' he says.

'But that's not fair!' I say. 'You said no to this one.' he says. 'Y-yeah, but what if there's a guy that asks me out that I actually do like!' I say. 'You like somebody?' Paul mutters and I gulp. 'Well...not...' I blush and look over at Gracie for help. 'This is a girl's conversation! You boys leave her alone!' she orders. 'Gracie, does it matter? They'll hear it later anyway.' I huff, pushing my food around. Which means I couldn't tell her about my suddenly growing feelings for Paul.

'Gracie does a lot of patrols alone.' Sam says and I shake my head. 'We can talk.' Jake offers and I look over at him. 'But...' I say and Quil chuckles. 'Jake has his own schedule.' he says and I raise both eyebrows over at him. 'Or you can always call me, honey.' Emily says and I look over at her thoughtfully.

I smile and nod. 'Best idea yet.' I say and she smiles back. I could still feel the tension in the room, but the conversation eventually rolled on to something less embarrassing for me, though we got a few laughs at Quil and Gracie's expense. Soon, Quil and Jake were driving me home. They decided once they got out of the car that they'd be staying the night.

I drop onto the couch and groan. 'Brent is such a lame-wad.' I mutter. 'He's protective.' Quil shrugs, grabbing my tub of ice cream and eating right from it. He drops next to me and tosses his feet onto the coffee table. 'I can date whoever I want! I'm surprised someone even wanted me, anyway. I should have said yes, this is a once in a lifetime thing, dammit!' I snap.

'Shut up, Jade. It isn't once in a life time.' Jake says, dropping on my other side with a bag of chips. 'It is for me! All of you guys are smoking hot and here I am, the chubby little follower.' I grumble, stealing some chips and shoving them all into my mouth. That's right, I was a sexy beast with my awesome eating habits.

'I think you're beautiful.' Quil shrugs, flipping through the channels. 'I do too.' Jake says. 'It is socially required for you to respond like that, but I bet you don't believe it or mean it!' I say. 'Tony asked you out because he thinks you're pretty.' Quil says and I roll my eyes. 'He asked me out because he thinks Gracie's pretty. He even said it himself. She was his first choice.' I say.

'He was nervous.' Quil says as Jake growls. 'Asshole.' Jake mutters and I settle against him, sighing. 'Boys suck.' I mutter. 'We do.' they both agree.

Monday morning and I wasn't feeling much better about dating and asshole boys. Jake had stayed the night again wanting to make me feel better. And he did, but I was still upset that I'd have to see Tony. He was even in our homeroom. We enter and I notice Paul and Jared were back. And now Seth was in here too.

'Sethy boy.' I say, smiling and he giggles softly and waves. He sits next to Gracie and blushes and she looks away blushing. I grin and look at Embry. 'Is that a thing?' I whisper. 'They imprinted.' he says. 'What the fuck does that mean?' I snap.  
>'Jade.' the teacher sighs and I glare over at him. 'Do you live to give me detention?' I order. Paul growls and the teacher sighs again. 'Loser.' Paul mutters and I hop up on the counter next to him, observing Gracie and Seth send each other shy goofy looks. 'Huh.' I say and feel Paul's eyes on me. I glance up at him and he slowly looks over to a desk.<p>

I follow his gaze as his eyes narrow and see Tony looking over. Our eyes meet and he smiles slightly, blushing. Paul growls lowly and I nudge him, making him look down at me. 'What is it with you and growling lately?' I mutter and he glares over at Tony again and puts his arm around my shoulders.

'What the hell, Paul?' I ask as Tony looks away fast. 'Is he the joke that asked you out?' he asks. 'Is it such a joke to ask me out?' I hiss and he glares. 'That's not what I fucking said.' he says sharply. 'That's what it sounded like.' I huff and look away. 'That is not what I said!' he snarls again and I cross my arms and look to the front.

The teacher sends us a nasty look and Paul growls. 'What the fuck are you looking at?' he snarls. 'Detention, Mr. Lahote.' the teacher says. 'And I think Ms. Spencer can join you.' he adds and I huff. 'You suck.' I mutter. 'You started it.' Paul smirks and leans in closer. 'Stop.' I say but can't help the small smile that tugged at my lips.

Why was he being so flirty? I definitely was not his type. Maybe he was just repressed. 'Mr. Lahote, your arm.' the teacher says. 'What about it?' Paul asks, tugging me closer. 'Remove it.' the teacher says. 'No thanks. Maybe you should give us another detention.' he says. 'No, really. I don't want another detention.' I say fast, sending Paul a look.

'Paul, now.' the teacher says and Paul shrugs and pulls his arm away. He wraps it around my waist and tugs me as close as possible and my eyes widen, I'm sure quite comically. The teacher grumbles but grabs his sheet of paper and starts reading. 'Looks like I'm driving you home, huh?' Paul smirks and I pout.

'I have been able to talk myself out of every other detention but you just welcome it in.' I sigh. 'Hey, quality time we can spend getting to know each other.' he smirks and I frown, confused. 'Why do you want to get to know me?' I ask. 'Why not?' he murmurs and the bell rings. I look away from his amazing caramel eyes and glance over to Tony who was storming out. Funny enough, I didn't feel guilty. Paul was flirting with me. Why, I didn't know. But I enjoyed it. A lot.

'Want me to walk you to class?' he offers as we step out of the classroom. 'Oh, no...that's okay.' I say and watch Jared walk over to Kim and lean down and kiss her. They clasp hands and start walking towards math and I turn and glance up at Paul who looks to them then smirks. 'Are you sure?' he asks and I blush.

'Yes, I'm sure! Get to class!' I gasp and turn, walking off as fast as I could. I enter the classroom and drop next to Kim. 'What's wrong?' she asks. 'Umm.' I look over at her and sigh. 'Paul's flirting with me.' I say. 'And?' she asks. 'Well, I'm me so I'm worried it's just a joke...or he's repressed...or trying to make another girl jealous...' I ramble and she chuckles.

'Paul doesn't usually show much interest unless he really wants to date someone. Trust me, I've heard Jared complain about him since the beginning.' she says. 'So...what do I do?' I ask. 'Enjoy it. He's a great guy once you get past his cockiness and his temper.' she says. 'Yeah.' I sigh and she smiles and looks forward as the bell rings.

I drop down at the table and wait for the rest of the pack to show up. Seth was first with his lunch box and tray of food. I wasn't kidding when I said I'd make them all lunches. Seth got the biggest cause he was still a growing boy. 'Hi.' he says and I smile.

'So, you and Gracie?' I ask and he blushes and looks away. 'Wow.' I say and he shakes his head. 'How do I make her like me back?' he gasps. 'She likes flowers.' I say. 'Do all girls like flowers?' he asks. 'I assume so. It's always been a secret dream of mine to receive a big beautiful bouquet of flowers from a guy. It just seems so romantic, you know? Just cause he was thinking of me.' I sigh.

'Wow.' he whispers, eyes widening slightly. 'Can you help me pick them out?' he asks fast and I nod. 'Of course. I know Gracie better than any of these boneheads.' I say and Jake, Quil, and Embry drop down. 'Hey!' they all whine and I grin. Paul drops on my other side and opens his lunch box first. 'You make a lot of sandwiches.' he says.

'Jake helped. We went shopping on Saturday and made food all day Sunday. I mean _all_ day. He kept eating everything.' I say and Jake blushes. 'It's not my fault!' he complains. 'Can you afford that?' Embry asks gently. 'No.' I say and he frowns. 'But I can.' Gracie drops between Quil and Embry and grins.

'I gave her one of my credit cards. She makes the food, I pay for it. Fair trade, right? And, I decided I could share with my brothers since she likes you guys so much and all.' Gracie takes a huge sip of milk and I grin. Kim and Jared sit and I smile over at her. 'Welcome.' I say and she blushes.  
>'This is my first time sitting with you guys.' she says shyly. 'Why's that?' Paul asks, eating his egg salad sandwich from the cafeteria in one bite. 'I didn't think I was welcome...but Jade invited me.' she says. 'Why didn't you think you were welcome?' Gracie asks.<p>

'She's just shy. But...having you two here and having Jade invite her finally made her want to be here with us. So...thanks Jade.' Jared says and I nod to him. 'Anytime, bro.' I say and chew on my sandwich. 'How'd you know all our favorites?' Seth gasps as he takes his two out. 'I had a wolf helping.' I nod to Jake who grins. 'We all talk about food enough I knew what everybody liked.' Jake shrugs.

'Are you guys best friends?' Seth asks. 'Yeah, the best.' Jake says. 'Shut up, bitch. She's mine.' Gracie says and I groan. 'Every fucking time. Can't we not argue about this?' I ask. 'You love being fought over, shut up.' Gracie says earning a soft growl from Paul. 'Oh, cool your jets Lahote.' she says and turns to Jake.

'You can't just steal my prison bitch from me.' she says. 'What the hell does that even mean?' Jake asks, eyes widening, but I could see the delight on his eyes. He was enjoying this as much as Gracie. They loved to argue with each other, and it was nice to have the friendship back to normal again. I can't help but grin and lean my chin on my palm, raising both eyebrows as I watched. 'It means she's mine and not yours! Mine!' Gracie attempts a Z snap and I groan.

'She's not yours! I've known her longer and who talks to her every night? That's right, me!' Jake says, copying her Z snap. Oh boy. 'Whoa, whoa. Calm down because we pretty much hang out all the time.' Quil decided to jump in. 'Actually, we've been almost inseparable since we started talking again. Attached at the hip.' Embry hops in. And then the most adorable thing happened.

'But she said I was most adorable.' Seth chirps and I grin as I look down at him. 'What?' the four chorus, whining and I grin and bite my lip. 'B-but I'm the girl.' Gracie gasps. 'Yeah, and Paul's a gray wolf. But Seth is just so adorable. He's got big feet he trips over and he stumbles around like a gigantic puppy!' I say and ruffle his hair.

Gracie's eyes narrow and she growls lowly, watching me threateningly. 'Whoa.' I pull my hands back fast and my eyes widen. Paul snarls and stands up and Gracie glares up at him. 'Paul, let's go for a walk.' I say fast and he watches her, his eyes narrowed dangerously. 'Paul, please. Let's go for a walk. I need to walk.' I say and he slowly puts his arm in the small of my back. I grab the lunches and we rush out of the cafeteria.

We step outside and he takes deep breaths, calming down. 'What the hell?' I sigh, handing him the lunch boxes and leaning against the wall. 'She growled at you.' Paul says. 'You don't go evil wolf on her in front of hundreds of bystanders! She has a crush on Seth, I shouldn't have touched him. She's always been possessive about her new toys.' I say.

'He's more than a toy to her.' he grunts. 'I know. Seth mentioned...imprinting again.' I mutter and wave my hand. 'Which I don't know what it is, but I figure it has to do with love or some shit like that.' I mutter and look over at him. 'You growling didn't help things.' I say, jumping back to the original conversation.

'Sometimes I can't help it.' he mutters, dropping down and opening he lunch box on top and eating the grapes. 'Yeah, I noticed.' I say slowly and drop next to him. I prop my knees up and rest my head back, closing my eyes. 'Aren't grapes bad for dogs?' I ask halfheartedly. 'Shut up.' he grunts, but I could hear his smile. At least someone found me amusing.

Jake and Gracie were gonna talk to Bella tonight. 'Are you okay?' Paul finally mutters and I glance up at him. 'What?' I ask. 'You seem...upset.' he says. 'Why do you think Jake keeps going back to Bella?' I ask. The question obviously took him by surprise.

'He loves her.' he says. 'Yeah, but...she keeps hurting him.' I say. He shrugs and I sigh. 'I wish...I wish he could find someone who was so much better for him. Who'd drop everything to do what he needed instead of dropping everything to hurt him. To just listen to his crazy and fun ideas, because he gets so excited and bright eyed about it. Talk to him all night long, which for whatever reason he always does. Then laugh as he whines about it the next day. Someone...' I stop and shrug. 'Like you.' Paul mutters.

I look up at him and am surprised to see the extreme hurt in his eyes. 'Oh no. No, no, no.' I say fast and he frowns, but doesn't meet eyes with me. 'No, Jake and I are like brother and sister.' I say. 'You do...all of that for him.' he says and shrugs. 'You'd be good together.' he says. 'No we wouldn't.' I smile and he frowns. I shrug and look forward.

'If Jake had gotten to her first, Bella would have been good for him. They share little notes and do stupid and reckless stuff together.' I shrug and he sighs, what sounded like in relief. 'But the dead thing got to her first, which is gross. Does she fuck him? Can he even get hard?' I ask and Paul snorts and looks down at me.

'I don't want to think about it.' he says. 'If he can't, that's not a great relationship.' I say and he laughs and wraps his arm around my shoulders, tugging me in closer. 'You're always good for a laugh, Jade.' he says and I find myself resting my head against his chest as he ate. 'What kind of guy do you want?' he asks and I blush.

'Why do you care?' I ask. 'Just curious.' he says simply. 'I haven't really...thought about it.' I lie, staring down at my feet. 'Then off the top of your head. You want the shy and sweet, or the smart and loyal, or the goofy and adorable.' he says. 'You just described Embry, Quil, and Seth.' I say. He chuckles softly. 'Well?' he asks. 'No!' I laugh and shake my head.

'You find Seth very adorable.' he says. 'Yeah, because he reminds me of a puppy.' I say and he looks down at me. 'So?' he asks. 'What?' I ask. 'What's your type?' he asks. 'I've never actually dated, so I don't know my type.' I say simply. 'Wasn't there that one kid a few years back?' he asks.

'I don't really count that as a date.' I blush and look down. 'No? What was it?' he asks. 'Uh, I dunno. Something else that was...enough to scar me from dating ever again.' I chuckle and he does too. 'That bad, huh?' he asks. 'Yeah.' I sigh. 'Well, you should have jumped into another relationship with someone else.' he says. 'Oh really?' I ask. 'Yes.' he says.

'Like who?' I look up at him and he shrugs. 'I'm sure there was someone.' he says. 'Who would want to date me.' I keep my face deadpan and he frowns. 'Why wouldn't they want to?' he asks and I blink. 'B-because I'm not exactly going to win America's Next Top Model soon.' I say.

'So? They're gross anyway.' he says. 'That's not the point, Paul. Don't pretend you don't see it. Everyone does.' I sigh and he watches me closely. 'I think you're gorgeous, Jade. Why don't you see it?' he asks. 'Oh, just shut up.' I push myself up and go to walk into the school.

'Wait, Jade. Wait.' he catches my wrist and I stop walking. 'What did I say?' he asks. 'I'm sure you're just being nice and pretending to flirt because you're friends with my four best friends and now my brother and...I dunno, maybe you're making some pretty girl jealous or something, but enough's enough.' I say and his grip tightens slightly.

'What the hell are you talking about?' he growls and I look back. 'I'm flirting because I care about you. I growl because I want to protect you. I'm here because I want to be here with you right now!' he snaps, his voice rising. 'Really?' I ask softly and his grip loosens. 'You really think I'm that bad of a person?' he asks.

'No, I think I am.' I say and it looked like his heart broke as I stared into his eyes. He steps forward and wraps his arms around me, tugging me into a tight and warm embrace. 'Don't think that. Ever again.' he whispers and I close my eyes, breathing in his amazing scent.

The bell rings and I blink and slowly pull away. 'Uh, I should get to class.' I mumble and he watches me closely. 'Okay.' he finally mutters and steps back. 'See you after school.' he says and I nod and turn, walking inside. I head to my class and drop into my seat, blinking. Did that really just happen? That really just happened. I smile and bite my lower lip, looking up. As if I'd be able to concentrate during the rest of classes.

I drop into a seat in my homeroom classroom and look over as Paul steps in. He grins smugly and drops right next to me, scooting his desk closer. I glance at him and he winks and looks over as the door opens again. Tony stood there. He watches us then blushes and sits on my other side, earning a low growl from Paul.

'Stop it.' I mutter over at him and he huffs and settles with glaring at the chalkboard. He sends a few looks to Tony and I send him a look. The teacher walks in and sighs. 'Tony, what's this?' he asks. 'I got a detention too.' Tony mutters. 'Why aren't you with that teacher, then?' Mr. Brezonick asks.

'She said she had to get home so I could come here.' Tony blushes. 'Huh.' Mr. B says and shrugs, putting pieces of paper on our desks. 'I want an essay on why you're here.' he says. 'An essay? Isn't that a little Breakfast Club ish?' I ask. 'Would you rather clean the gutters of the school?' he asks. I put both hands up and lean back, glancing at Paul. 'Actually, yes.' Paul says.

'You can do it alone, Lahote.' the teacher says. 'No, I want her to come with.' Paul grins, crossing his arms and leaning back. The teacher watches him, obviously contemplating if this was going to go to Sam or if he could put his foot down.

'I don't really want to be up there in the rain. I'm staying here.' I say, shaking my head. 'Don't listen to her. She wants to be up there with me. Alone.' Paul smirks. 'No, really. Don't want to be up there. I'll explain whatever the hell this is to Sam if that's what you're thinking about. Don't worry.' I say. 'Sorry, Lahote. You're going up there alone.' the teacher says.

'Never mind, then. We'll both stay here. Sam wouldn't want her alone...anyway.' Paul says and Mr. B sighs and drops behind his desk. 'Five hundred words, done by six. Go.' he says. 'You're an ass.' I can't help but hiss over to Paul who grins. 'You have a nice ass.' he counters, making my cheeks go red. 'Stop that!' I gasp, grabbing a pencil.

I start writing and feel him poke me. 'What?' I look at him and he grins. 'Can I borrow a pencil?' he asks and I hand him the one I was writing with. He grabs my hand with it and runs his fingers over my knuckles. He winks and turns down to his paper and I realize I was blushing again. I send him a harsh look which I know he caught from his smug smirk.

I start writing again and feel Tony sending me glances. I was surprised, when an hour later Paul had stood up and placed the piece of paper down. He had been reaching his long legs over and tapping my feet the whole time, so I was extra surprised that he'd actually finished. I had been extremely distracted because it seemed an awful lot like footsies. He really had stepped up his flirting game, it seemed.

'Huh, you're free to go.' the teacher says and Paul grins. 'Gotta wait for my girl. I'm her ride home.' he says. 'Paul Lahote, I am not your anything.' I huff and he winks back at me. 'She plays this game and then when we get home she's all over me.' he whispers and I glare.

'You are so dead. I'm sicking Brent on you.' I mutter and he chuckles, dropping into the desk behind me. I start writing, trying to ignore him, and suddenly his lips were at my ear. 'Where's that sexy side braid you wore for a while?' he mumbles and my eyes widen. 'Paul, let her work.' the teacher says.

Paul snickers and I feel his fingers massaging my neck. My eyes close and I let out a soft breath. His hands were skilled. 'Almost done?' Paul murmurs and my eyes open. 'I would be if you'd stop distracting me.' I say fast. 'I'll be right back, then.' he says and stands. 'Gotta use the john.' he says and walks out. I continue writing and notice Tony scoot closer.

'Uh, hey.' he says and I glance at him. 'Hi.' I blush. 'Is he why you told me no?' he asks. 'Uh...sort of.' I mumble, feeling my blush darken. 'Cause, I hear he's a player. He plays girls and makes fun of them when they fall for him.' he says. I continue writing and he places his hand on my thigh. 'I wouldn't ever do that to a beautiful specimen like you.' he says.

'Oh, like you wouldn't pick me second because my best friend was your original target?' I snap and he gulps and pulls away. I scribble away at my paper, bullshitting the last paragraph. I count the words and grab my bag, handing it to the teacher. The door opens and Paul saunters in, then frowns at my upset look. 'Go ahead.' Mr. B says and I snatch Paul's hand and walk out.

'What'd the little worm do?' he orders. 'You aren't trying to embarrass me in front of the whole school, are you?' I ask as we step outside. 'Why would I do that?' he frowns. 'That's what Tony said you were doing.' I mutter and he growls, looking back at the school. 'He talked to you?' he asks. 'Yes.' I mutter. 'Still wants to date you?' he frowns and helps me into his truck.

'I guess. But I kinda snapped at him.' I say. 'Good girl.' he grins, sitting in the driver's seat. 'Where do you want to go?' he asks. 'Uh, go?' I ask. 'Yeah, we can go anywhere. Where do you want?' he asks. I look up at him and he grins. 'Ice cream?' he offers and I slowly nod. 'Okay.' he says and pulls out of the parking lot. It was starting to get dark and the rain was pouring down, but it was still beautiful. He pulls into the diner and we hop out and head in.

Paul ordered a few huge ice creams and I got myself a sundae. Soon, we were eating in silence. My phone rings and I look down at it and sigh. 'Jake.' I say and listen as he starts babbling on and on. I close my eyes and rest my head on my hand. He keeps talking and I look over at Paul who was frowning. 'Bella?' he mouths and I nod and roll my eyes as Jake's voice gets louder.

It breaks in a sob and I sigh. 'Jake, calm down. Calm down!' I gasp and frown. 'He's gonna change her!' he yells and I close my eyes. 'Jake, Jake! He can't just change her! It's a breach of the treaty, and it sounds like their leader knows better. It'd be a brawl and the chances of some of them dying from that are high. He's not an idiot, I'm sure she just said that because she was promised. They won't...change her.' I say and frown.

Would they? 'How do you know? She seemed pretty set!' he says fast. I stare down at my melting ice cream and frown. 'I will...talk to her.' I grind out and see Paul smirk. 'Why?' Jake asks. 'If anyone can convince a girl you're the shit it's me. I'll try to sway her judgment.' I say. 'Really?' he asks. 'Yeah, but give me a few weeks. And don't talk to her until I do!' I say. 'You got it. You're the best. This is why you're my best friend.' he says.

'Don't start. Bye.' I hang up and put my phone down. I close my eyes and groan. 'What did I just agree to?' I ask. 'If she's over here I'll be okay with it.' he says. 'No, I have to go to her house.' I say. 'You'll be on their territory. I can't protect you over there.' he says. 'You don't need to. I'll be quick.' I say.

'No, bring her here.' he says. 'Paul, this isn't up to you. I can't let my best friend's heart break, and maybe if I try and fail he'll realize it won't happen.' I say. He sighs and I smile. 'Fine, but I'll be waiting at the border. Have your phone on you.' he says and I shrug and go back to eating.

_**There we go, longer chapter! Sooo, Paul and Jade went on a "date". Oooh. And there's some jealous Paul in there, too. I think it's adorable! Also, I figured Seth and Leah deserved some love. I love all the Clearwater's and wish to give them more attention. I know it kind of breezed over Harry's death, but don't worry, Jade's feeling it. Anyway, I should be updating sooner than I've been updating. The holidays take a lot out of me and I've been super lazy when I got home from work, so I'll give you another apology. I'm sorry. :(**_

_**Hope you guys had a good New Year and hope 2015 started off great for all of you!**_


	9. Study Date

_**Author's Note:**_

_**I'll admit, I'm just bad at updating. -_- I'm sorry! Thanks for the reviews! Makes me super happy to see a new one come through, even if it's one sentence! Thanks for the follows and favorites! It's nice to know if people still are enjoying my story and want to read more! As an apology for the delayed update, I give you a fluffy chapter! It is all fluff, but it is also shorter than the rest of my chapters. Shout out to **_**wolf-girl-only-in-my-dreams, Rogue's Queen, Emzy2k11, and hateme101! ****_I love you all, you guys are awesome! Have some cookies!_**

_**Warning: This story contains Bella bashing. Jade really, really dislikes her. A lot. And she shows it!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of it's characters. Those are property of Stephenie Meyer! I do own Jade, Gracie, and Brent and their awesomeness!**_

_**Enjoy :)**_

The next few days were a lot like the first, minus the detention. Tuesday morning I was surprised to find Paul pulled up the driveway in his big truck when I'd stepped out, ready to drive myself. We talked the whole drive there, and at homeroom I sat on the counter with him again and we whispered the whole class. At lunch, we sat next to each other and got into mini fights that ended us laughing. And then at the end of the day, we'd go somewhere and eat and talk some more.

It was Friday and I decided I'd need to go to Forks over the weekend. I text Bella with a grimace. I couldn't believe I promised Jake I'd do this. I got a text back almost immediately. I'd be going over there tomorrow.

I hear a knock on the door and I grab my backpack and toss it open. 'Hey.' I say and Paul grins. 'Side braid?' he asks and I flush. 'Shut up, Lahote.' I mutter and hop into his truck. His grin widens and he pulls out, heading to school.

'You look tired.' I say and he shrugs. 'Had patrol last night.' he says and I frown. 'You should have stayed home and rested.' I say. 'Then I'd miss seeing my favorite girl.' he says, smirking down at me. 'Gracie? You'd miss seeing Gracie?' I ask and he rolls his eyes.

'Always gotta ruin the moment.' he says and I laugh. 'What moment?' I ask and he shakes his head, frowning slightly. 'I would have missed seeing you too.' I roll my eyes and look out the window. He was so touchy. We pull into the school and hop out and he walks to my locker with me, still pouting.

I grab my math book and shove it into my backpack and Paul frowns. 'Where are the lunches?' he asks. 'Brent's bringing them later. After you dropped me off, Brent gave me a ride to Sam and Emily's. We made some pretty good food.' I grin and his eyes light up. 'It has to be refrigerated, though, so he promised to drop them off at lunch for you guys.' I say.

'Damn, girl. You're the best.' he says, wrapping his arms around me. I chuckle and pat his arm and we head to homeroom where I hopped up on the counter next to him. Seth and Gracie walk in hand in hand and I smirk at the blush on their cheeks. Someone whispers about her being a cougar and I can't help but glare.

_Hell no! _I think.

'What'd you just say?' I order, hopping off the counter. 'Leave it alone.' Gracie begs and I watch her then look down to the snobby blond bitch and recognize her as someone Paul had "dated" once. 'You heard me. You're not much better, desperately clinging to Paul because you know eventually he'll move on to someone prettier, smarter and all around better than you.' she stands up and I glare.

'Jessica, sit down.' Mr. B snaps, walking in. He sends me a look and I look at Jessica then roll my eyes and move back over to my seat. I hop up next to Paul and realize Jake and Embry each had an arm on his chest and he was shaking. 'Calm down.' I mutter, putting a hand on his knee. His shaking stops and he stares down at my hand then looks to my face, a cocky smirk pulling at his lips.

I tug my hand back fast and feel myself blush. 'D-don't look at me like that!' I gasp and turn towards the front. I feel his arms wrap around me and tug me back into him and let out a surprised breath. He rests his chin on my shoulder and my eyes jump over to him. He smiles a true smile and snuggles me closer, and I slowly rest my head against his, smiling back. I can't help but let my eyes jump to Jessica as she looks back. Her smile drops and her lips purse. She turns her head back around and I feel my grin widen. Now who's desperate, bitch.

'Let me walk you to math.' Paul sighs and I roll my eyes. 'Why are you so set on walking me to class?' I ask. 'Because I want to spend that much extra time with you.' he says. I watch him then sigh and shrug. He slings his arm over my shoulders and I could see his grin. 'Wipe that smile off, boy.' I say and he chuckles.

'What are we doing today?' he asks. 'Homework for once?' I ask. 'Why would I do homework?' he snorts. 'So you don't have to repeat a year?' I ask. 'I don't care.' he says. 'Oh really? How does Sam feel?' I ask. 'Eh...' he shrugs and I shake my head.

'You can come over to my house and I'll cook you a snack and in return, we will do homework for two hours.' I say. 'Together.' he says and I nod. 'At your house?' he grins and I nod slowly. 'And you'll feed me.' he finishes. I nod again and he leans down and puts his lips to my ear. 'It's a date.' he whispers, then kisses just below my ear lobe and turns, walking off.

I put a hand to where he kissed and watch him walk away with wide eyes. I look over at Jared and Kim who were grinning wide but not saying anything. 'Uh...' I blush then glare. 'Oh, shut up.' I mutter and walk into the classroom.

Lunch came too slow. I was nervous. Why I was so nervous, I didn't know. It seemed as if Paul was stepping deeper and deeper into this flirting thing. I liked it and I hoped that he wouldn't stop. But as far as I knew, we were only friends. Friends that hung out all the time, and friends that consistently flirted and texted all night long. Friends that...well, kissed each other on the neck and whispered about dates.

I blush and look down at my phone. Just as I looked down I heard Brent's car pull in. 'Here we go.' he says, carrying bowls of food. I grab the two bags and we head inside. The table of werewolves whooped as we walked over and started tossing the tin foil and any wrapping off the bowls and a few started digging through the bags.

I smile up at Brent and he nods and pats my shoulder. 'Let's do something Sunday.' he says. 'Sure.' I agree and he winks and waves to the guys, jogging out. I grin and drop down, grabbing myself a bowl of food while everyone was busy eating their first helping.

'Did you help?' Quil asks Kim, spitting some spaghetti at her. 'Yes.' she says, wiping her eye. Jared leans over and slaps Quil on the chest. 'Gross.' I agree and Quil rolls his eyes. Kim grabs some food and looks at me with raised eyebrows. 'I think this should be a Friday tradition.' I say. 'Yes!' they all yell and Kim giggles and nods agreement.

I start eating again and glance over at Jake who was poking at his food. My smile drops and I kick him. He looks up and grins halfheartedly. 'I'm talking to her tomorrow, so buck up. If she doesn't fall for it, you need to promise me to search for someone better suited for you.' I say. 'I will try to search.' he mumbles.

'Promise me!' I order. 'I promise.' he says. 'Promise on my meatloaf.' I say and his bottom lip juts out. 'I promise on your damn meatloaf, happy?' he asks. 'For now.' I say and go back to my food. He does as well, a small smile on his lips and Gracie nods. I wink back and she blows me a kiss. I grin and glance up at Paul for the first time.

He had spaghetti sauce all over his mouth and a noodle was somehow up his nose. I laugh out loud at this and he looks down at me confused. I turn away and cover my mouth, hiding my giggles. 'What the fuck are you laughing at?' he grumbles. 'You have a noodle up your nose.' I say and everyone joins in laughing.

He growls and wipes his mouth and I look over at Quil as he starts snorting, then coughing. I roll my eyes as he coughs an entire roll out of his mouth and it lands on Kim's bowl. She backs up fast and Jared glares over at Quil. 'Could you be anymore of a pig?' he snaps. 'I'm hungry.' Quil pouts and I close my eyes and laugh again. 'You wolves need a lesson on table etiquette.' I say. 'Good luck with that!' Embry chuckles and as if on cue they all reach for seconds and start devouring it instantly.

Kim gets herself another bowl and I notice as she ate, she kept one hand covering it. Poor Kim. When the bowls were empty and the boys satisfied, we all decided to wander around the school. Actually, the other boys wanted to go cause trouble near the principle's office.

It didn't take much pouting to get Paul to ditch their plan and help me bring the dishes to his car. After we discarded the empty bowls and plates to his truck, we decided to wander around outside instead of join in on the trouble the rest of the pack was planning.

'So, seeing Swan tomorrow.' he says and I nod. 'Yeah, should be...interesting.' I shrug. 'Be careful.' he says gently and I look up at him. 'I will.' I promise. 'I'm on patrol...I'll be near the border.' he says and I smile. 'Nothing's gonna happen to me.' I say. 'We don't know that. The red leech doesn't care where she goes.' he says.

'Won't I be on the Cullen's property?' I ask. 'I can't guarantee they'll protect you unless you're with Bella.' he says. 'Then...I'll drive to the line and have her pick me up.' I say and look up at him. 'Okay.' he sighs and I smile. 'What are we gonna do after I'm off patrol?' he asks. 'What? Is it your goal to spend every day with me?' I ask. 'I wouldn't completely object to that.' he says.

'Why?' I ask. 'I didn't realize how amazing you were before.' he says and I blush and look away. 'Don't tease.' I say. 'I'm not.' he grins and bumps shoulders with me. The bell rings and I groan. 'I don't wanna.' I say. 'Then let's not.' he says. 'My parents would kill me and Brent would kill you. C'mon, three more periods and then we're free for the weekend.' I say. He sighs but nods and leads the way back into the school.

'I'm tired of doing this.' Paul complains as he finishes his History homework. 'Eat another oreo.' I say and he does but doesn't pull out his math book. That was his last bit of homework. Mine was already in front of me. 'Can't we take a break?' he whines and I grin over at him.

'When we're done we can do whatever you want.' I say. 'Whatever I want, huh?' he asks and I hesitate before nodding. 'Okay.' he grins and pulls his math book out. 'W-wait, that was too easy.' I say and he shrugs. 'You said it.' he says and I grab an oreo and go back to my work. I glance at him and he looks up and smirks. I blush and look down at my homework.

My phone lights up and I sigh, reaching over Paul to get it. He leans over me and captures me, making me giggle a bit. 'Hello?' I ask. 'Hey, you called?' Bella asks and I resist the urge to make faces. 'Yeah, Brent and Paul don't want me driving to Forks alone. Would it be possible for you to pick me up at the border line...thing?' I ask.

'Uh, sure. Paul?' she asks. 'Yeah.' I say confused. 'I didn't know he really...cared about anyone but himself.' she says. I close my eyes and shake my head. 'I'll see you tomorrow.' I say and hang up. 'This might not go over well.' I say, turning to look up at Paul. He smirks and raises both eyebrows and I struggle to squirm so I was lying more comfortably in his lap.

'Can you let me go so I can do my homework, now?' I ask. 'I'm actually pretty comfy.' he rests his math book on my lap and I grin. 'Then hand me my homework?' I ask and he reaches over and hands me my math book. I rest it up against his stomach and start writing again. It was actually very comfortable and when I was done, I dropped the book and closed my eyes, snuggling in.

I hear Paul shut his book and then his hand was on my face, gently sliding his fingers down my cheek. I open my eyes to look up at him, confused and he grins and leans down. 'What are you doing?' I ask fast, my eyes widening. 'You said we could do whatever I wanted. I want to kiss you.' he says. 'R-really?' I gasp, blushing. He nods and leans closer and I shake my head.

'Wait, I should really brush my teeth or something...' I say fast and he only grins, bringing his lips to mine. I close my eyes instantly and feel myself responding. He pulls me closer and I bring my hands up and run them through his hair. Oh man, if this was what kissing was always like I was seriously missing out before.

He finally pulls away and I slowly open my eyes and look up at him. He runs his fingers down my cheek again and tugs me up again, pressing his warm lips to mine. His tongue slides into my mouth and my eyes open fast. I tug away and he grins and leans back. I look down to find myself straddling him. I could feel my cheeks light on fire and go to back off when his hands press into my back and keep me there. I keep my eyes down and he brings one hand up to my chin.

'Kiss me, Jade.' he says and I move my eyes up to his. I slowly press my hands against his chest and lean down, tentatively pressing my lips to his. He let me keep control, and I slowly could feel myself getting more comfortable. He pushes his tongue in again and this time I let him, enjoying the odd feel of it. He pulls his lips away and trails kisses across my jaw and down my neck. He nibbles on the spot where my neck and shoulder combine and I gasp and close my eyes.

The door opens and we both look over to see Quil and Gracie. 'Gross.' Gracie mutters and heads into the kitchen. 'C'mon Seth!' she calls and he gallops in. 'Gracie, what the hell? You don't even knock?' I call, wiping my mouth fast. If I wasn't blushing before, I sure as hell was now. What timing.

'I figured you wouldn't be making out on the floor!' she calls back. I look down at Paul and find him glaring. 'Quil...' I beg softly and he shrugs. 'Brent's on his way so this was probably for the better.' he says. I groan but push myself up. 'Wait...' Paul says and I pull away, feeling the heat creep up my neck and covering my ears. How embarrassing.

'Jade, c'mon...' he says lowly, packing his bag. 'Let's go for a walk.' he adds and I watch him then glance over at Gracie who rolls her eyes. 'Don't...burn my house down.' I sigh and let Paul take my hand. We wander outside and I relish in the cold mist that was coming down. Paul was definitely very warm and I was already flushed from the make-out session.

'Does she always do that?' he finally mutters. 'Come barging in like she owns the place? Yeah.' I sigh. 'Talk to you like you're five. Like she's the boss of you.' he glares. 'It's a Gracie thing. I'm sure she gets it from being rich. She's a good friend.' I say. 'She'd be better if she kept her nose out of your business.' he mutters and I smile.

'You're just upset we got interrupted.' I say and he looks away. I feel my smile widen and I look down. After a few minutes he twines our fingers together making me grin and glance up at him. He glances down at me as well and chuckles. 'C'mere.' he sighs, crooking his finger down at me.

I step closer curiously and he leans down, pressing a gentle kiss to my lips. I turn my face away when we separate and we turn and head back. 'I should go. Call me tomorrow when you're done.' he says. 'What are we gonna do?' I ask. 'Jade Spencer...will you go out on a date with me?' he asks and I look up at him surprised. 'Uh, yeah.' I stutter.

_Brilliant response, Jade. Just brilliant. _

I was pretty sure my face would be stained pink at this point. How many times had he made me blush today? I smile nervously and he winks and walks me to the door.

'I'll pick you up at four.' he says and I nod, feeling slightly giddy. He grins and hops into his truck, pulling out. I turn into the house and see Gracie grinning with Seth. 'Well?' she asks, looking over at me. 'I have a date tomorrow.' I say and she squeals and hops up, rushing over and hugging me. I laugh and hug her back. For now, things seemed perfect.

_**Whoo! Fluffy chapter! And whoo! Jade has a date! A real date! With Paul! Next chapter should be Jade's meeting with Bella. Gonna be emotional, I can just feel it. **_

_**hateme101, I do not usually respond to reviews, but I just could not resist! I have a plan for Jade meeting the Cullens, but unfortunately meeting them all will have to wait a bit longer. I cannot wait to write out Rosie and Jade's Bella bashing together. *insert tear* It should be glorious! Thanks for reviewing, I always love getting your tidbits and opinions and thoughts and ideas on my chapters! **_

_**Soo, Jade and Paul have had their first makeout session, cut short by the ever charming Gracie and her faithful puppy Seth! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Favorite! Follow! Review! I have set a deadline for myself! Saturday at the **_**latest!****_ I swear! ;)_**


	10. A Trip To Forks

_**Author's Note:**_

_**It's eight thirty on Saturday night (my time)! Woohoo, I have updated on time and it hasn't taken me a week and a half to do it! I'm ten chapters in! Yay! I'm glad you guys have stuck with me on it so far! Thanks! Prepare yourselves for emotional Jade. She gets that way when she's with Bella. Hmm. Thanks again to those who added my story to their favorites, are following and have taken the time to review! Love you all. Special super duper shout out to hateme101 who always gives the best input on the chapter! Glad you liked the last one!**_

_**Warning: This story contains plenty of Bella bashing. Jade just really doesn't like her.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of it's characters. Those belong to Stephenie Meyer! I do own Jade, Gracie, and Brent. **_

_**Enjoy :)**_

I sigh as I park my car and shove my hands into my pocket. She was late. I hear a crack in the woods and I look over and roll my eyes, hopping across the small ditch and wandering deeper into the trees. Paul growls and I smile and reach out, petting his nose.

He moves into my touch and I lean down, kissing it. 'I'm gonna be okay, Paul.' I say and he bares his teeth slightly. I turn to see a silver Volvo pull up. 'That's not her...oh. You said your smell repels them?' I ask and he dips his head. 'Give me a hug.' I grin and licks me.

'Ewe, Paul! Not like that!' I giggle and wrap my arms around him. He whines softly and I pull away and tilt my head. His eyes were pleading. 'I have to go. I'll see you tonight.' I smile and he takes a step as I go to walk away. I turn and give him a hopeful look.

'Please, don't worry.' I beg and he watches me then looks down, sounding like he was sighing. He pushes his head against my chest and I smile and pet behind his ears. 'I'll call you when I'm back, I promise. You should be off patrol by the time I do get back.' I assure and back from the trees.

A very pale boy was standing outside his car, watching me as I emerged. He gives a slightly pained smile and gulps. Bella hops from the car and smiles. 'Uh, I was hoping it was gonna be just you and me.' I say, shoving my hands into my pockets. 'It will. Edward didn't want me this close to the line alone.' she says and I glance back into the woods. Paul was still there, watching.

I wave him away and see him shift but stay there. I look back to Bella who looks behind me. 'Paul?' she asks and I sigh. 'Yeah. Yup...didn't want me to come at all, honestly.' I say and look down. I didn't really want to be in a car with a vampire. The man clears his throat and sends Bella an amused look.

'I shouldn't...have come, Bella.' he says. 'What's wrong?' she asks and he glances at me. 'I'm not...welcome. She's one of them.' he says. 'I'm not a wolf. I just like them better.' I say simply and he smiles nervously. 'I can tell by your thoughts.' he says and my eyes narrow slightly.

'Right. That's...great. Can we go?' I ask fast and Bella smiles. 'Want the front?' she asks. 'Hell no.' I say and glance back at Paul one more time. Maybe I should have listened to him. 'He is hoping you'll turn around and leave.' Edward says. 'Not gonna happen. Bye Paul!' I call and open the door. 'He's asking you to call him when you're on your way back to the car.' Edward mutters.

I turn and search the trees. 'Stop being a mother hen!' I call and hear a soft whine. I grin and drop into the car. 'Did you have to get his scent all over you?' Edward mutters, rolling the windows down. 'I happen to enjoy his scent. Makes me feel more comfortable.' I say and tug at my side braid.

I tug my phone out, texting Brent. And we somehow got in an argument about me leaving my laundry on the floor in the bathroom. I glare and type furiously. He wasn't even home, he didn't get to complain about me leaving laundry.

The phone rings and I huff, completely forgetting I wasn't in the car with a wolf. 'Don't you type all capital letters at me!' Brent says and I roll my eyes. 'You have any idea how stupid you sound, puppy breath?' I say and he growls. 'Clean your shit up!' he snaps.

'You're not even home! You've abandoned us for Sam and Emily!' I say. 'So I don't come home to find you and Paul making out like Gracie and Quil did!' he snaps back. 'That happened once, thank you, and it was only yesterday! Does it matter? You want to jump Leah's bones!' I say angrily.

'Just clean your clothes up! Do you want Paul seeing that shit?' he snaps. 'That's what this is about, really?' I order. 'You're moving too fast!' he snaps. 'We've been talking for a month!' I argue. 'That's...too fast! One second you barely pay attention to him and then the next you're straddling him in the living room for the whole world to see!' he roars. 'Brent, calm down!' I hear Sam order and Brent takes deep breaths.

'Go slow or I'll keep him away from you.' he growls and I scoff. 'You aren't the boss of me. And you and Leah are giving each other love eyes. Maybe I should tell you the same thing.' I growl. 'Shut up.' he orders. 'Or maybe tell her what a douche you are so she'll leave you.' I say. 'I said shut up!' he roars and I gasp and blink. Edward and Bella both look back and I blush.

'Oh, hey. I'm with a vampire and Swan. I'll call you back.' I say casually. 'Oh...awkward.' he instantly sounded calm and I struggle not to grin. 'Love you, Brent.' I sing. 'Bye kid.' he says and I hang up. Edward frowns and Bella's eyes widen. 'That was...interesting.' Bella says. 'Yeah...that happens a lot, actually. But he can't stay mad at me.' I shrug and climb out of the car, noticing it stopped.

'I'll drive her back to the line.' Bella says. 'No, Paul will be meeting her there. I'll drive you both back...just in case.' Edward says and eyes me. 'That'll make him happy.' I grunt and Bella kisses him. I wrinkle my nose, imaging kissing ice and make another face. What was the appeal, I wonder? Edward's eyes jump up to mine and mine widen.

_Oh, shit. The vampire reads minds. Uh, rainbows. Cauliflower. Pumpkin pie. Popcorn. Ooh, I'm hungry. I'm used to always eating cause of those damn wolves. Chocolate. Mmm._ I smile to myself and actually hear the vampire chuckle.

'Maybe offer her some food.' he whispers and Bella smiles, nodding. Edward drives away and we head inside and into the kitchen. Bella starts cooking and I check my phone. 'So, why'd we need to talk?' Bella asks. 'It's about Jake.' I say and she hesitates then frowns. 'Is he okay?' she asks. 'He's fine, he's fine. A little...heartbroken, but fine.' I say, waving my hand.

'Heartbroken?' she whispers and I watch her take the mac and cheese off the stove top. 'Uh, yeah. You know, he really is a great guy.' I mumble and she puts the bowl in front of me. I instantly felt like one of the wolves because I was devouring the food quickly. I blush and pull back, looking up.

'Whoa, I'm learning some really bad habits from this pack.' I say and she smiles. 'I don't mind. Did Jake send you?' she asks hopefully. 'No.' I shrug and eat again. Her hopeful look falls and I sigh. Dammit, I hoped she didn't want to go to him because I couldn't deal with having her around. 'He's heartbroken, though.' why did she keep bringing that up?

'Yeah. But, I'm sure you don't really care.' I shrug and finish off the food. 'Of course I care.' she says softly and I shrug. 'Then why not give him a chance, Bella? Why are you so set on being with a stiff for the rest of your life?' I ask and she sighs, looking down. 'I love Edward more than anything. I would die for him.' she says.

'Well Jake would do anything for you!' I stand up fast and watch her. 'He won't stop loving you, Bella, you know that. He thinks you are the one he needs to end up with and he will continue to pine after you.' I say. 'How do I get him to stop?' she whispers. 'The only thing you could do is something that would make him realize you won't ever go to him.' I say.

She looks down and sighs. 'Edward asked me to marry him.' she says and I look down. 'What'd you say?' I ask. 'I haven't answered him yet.' she says. 'Because you know that you love Jacob...it's there.' I say desperately. 'I love Edward. I will be with Edward for the rest of my life.' she says and shakes her head.

'I'm sorry.' she adds and I back up, alarmed. I didn't expect her to be so set in her love for him. 'Oh.' I whisper and look down. I'd have to tell him. I'd have to break his heart again. I feel the tears start coming and I shake my head.

'Jade?' she asks and I wave her away. 'Don't come any closer. I have to brace myself for this.' I murmur and she frowns. 'I have to break his heart. I have to be the one to tell him it's never going to happen. I have to be the bad friend.' I whisper and she steps forward. 'I'll tell him.' she says and I glare.

'No!' I shriek and she backs up. 'You won't talk to him again! You will stay the fuck away from La Push and leave Jake the fuck alone.' I say angrily and she looks down. 'I can't.' she says and I glare.

'It's either you give him or chance or you break the ties. Because if you continue to lead him on I'll be the one who has to watch his heart break into even smaller pieces! You're the one I'm gonna come to for every emotional pain he feels. He is my best friend! We talk every goddamn day! He stays at my house almost every night! And to see him crumble into nothing because one goddamn stupid ass ugly girl doesn't love him back is torture! You're cruel. You're mean. You'll make a perfect bloodsucker.' I whisper and the tears start falling.

'I should drive you back.' she says. 'Stay the fuck away from me and my pack. Don't you ever come back.' I order and her eyes widen in alarm and pain, but she nods anyway. I storm out of the house and turn in a circle, dialing the first number that came to mind. Emily's.

'Hi Jade.' she chirps. 'Emily.' I whisper, trying not to sob. 'What's wrong, honey?' she gasps. 'I'm in Forks. I need to get away from here. What do I do?' I ask. 'I'll come pick you up.' she says. 'I don't want you in trouble.' I whimper and the sob breaks free.

'I'll be there soon, honey. Calm down.' she says gently and I gulp. 'T-thank you.' I whisper and we hang up. I start walking in the direction of La Push and drop my head as it starts raining. I whimper again and was close to town when my phone rang again.

'Where are you, Jade?' Emily asks. 'Almost to town.' I say. 'I think I see you. Paul's waiting at your car, honey.' she says and I see Sam's truck. I run over and throw myself in. 'What happened?' she asks. 'Bella Swan is a self righteous, self centered bitch.' I growl and she frowns.

'What'd she do?' she asks. 'I asked her to give Jake a chance, but it's like she can't see past the dead head.' I sigh and she smiles gently. 'Pure love does that.' she says. 'But she loves Jacob!' I whimper and she nods. 'If she were Jacob's true love, he would have imprinted on her.' she says. 'I don't know what imprinting is.' I groan and she chuckles. 'You will soon enough.' she promises.

I sigh and drop my head again. 'I blew up on her. Told her she couldn't come to La Push anymore because all she'd do is hurt Jake. I have to tell him there's no chance. It'll be me who breaks him this time. I can't do it.' I say. 'He'll take it best from you.' she says. 'I can't. I can't be that person to him. He's too good. He's too sweet for this shit.' I mutter and she pulls onto the road that my car was on.

I could see a tall man standing at my car, looking tense. 'He's really worried about you.' she says gently and I wipe at my tears furiously. 'You look fine.' she smiles and stops the car. Before she'd put it in park the door was being opened and Paul had lifted me out.

'What's wrong, baby? Did he hurt you?' he asks, looking me over. He wipes a tear away and I look down at him, surprised. 'What?' I ask. He wipes another tear away and pulls me close to him. 'What happened?' he asks. 'I hate Bella Swan.' I sigh and he does as well.

'I've got her, Emily.' Paul says gently, still holding me to him. 'Maybe you should postpone your date.' Emily suggests and Paul nods. 'Stay with her tonight. She'll need your strength.' Emily murmurs and I nuzzle my nose into Paul's neck. 'Thank you for getting her.' he says gently, pulling me closer. 'Bye Jade.' she calls and I lift my head and smile a small smile.

'Bye Emily, thank you.' I say and she drives off. Paul sits me on the hood of the car and I whimper annoyed. Now my jeans would be extra wet. 'Did he hurt you?' he asks and I shake my head. He cups my face in his big hands and watches me. 'Talk to me. What happened?' he asks. 'She's selfish and mean and evil and she deserves to live as a dead head for the rest of her life for being so cruel.' I pout and he pulls my head into his chest.

'She won't give him a chance.' he says. 'No, and I told her to stay the fuck away from La Push.' I say. 'Good for you, honey.' he sighs and I feel myself warm up at the pet name. 'I'm gonna take you home, you're gonna shower, and we're going to rest on the couch and watch movies.' he says.

'I'm so sorry...we were gonna go on a date.' I pout. 'We'll go on it another time. I promise.' he grins and I smile and blush. 'There's that pretty blush.' he says and I push on his shoulder. 'The keys.' he says and I hand them over. I drop into the passenger seat and pull my seat belt on. Paul folds into the driver's seat and I laugh softly and look away.

'You had to get the smallest car out there.' he grins and I smile back. 'I didn't know a werewolf would be my best friend.' I say. 'Aww, I thought we were more than that.' he says and I smile. 'What is that, then?' I ask. 'Well, we've made out on your couch. We've hung out every day. I'm extremely overprotective over you and jealous of any guy that looks at you too long.' he says and I feel my heart flutter.

'Dating?' he offers and my smile widens. 'How do you manage to make the bad days so much better?' I ask. 'I'm the shit.' he says and I laugh and lean over, kissing his cheek. 'One more.' he says and I kiss his cheek again. 'I like this.' he says and pulls out.

I sigh as I climb out of the car feeling my annoyance kick in. 'Who the fuck does she think she is? She can't just waltz into his life like that then crush his heart! One day there for him and flirting and holding his hand and shit and the next she's off kissing a damn stiff!' I growl and open my door annoyed.

'I think it's fair to say Jake has terrible taste in women. I mean, he had you and didn't take you, did he?' he asks and I slow down from pulling my jacket off. I look back at him and smile slightly.

'I don't think I would have accepted him as anything other than a brother anyway.' I say. 'You sure?' he asks and I nod. 'That's good news. Great news, actually.' he grins and drops on the couch. He raises both eyebrows and I curl up next to him.

'You're soaked.' he frowns and I sigh. 'I walked to town from Bella's house. I couldn't stand to be near her another minute.' I grumble. 'You should have called me.' he says. 'And gotten you in trouble? This worked out fine.' I sigh. 'Something could have happened. What if that bloodsucker found you?' he asks. I look down and sigh.

'I know that's why you had Bella pick me up. I wasn't thinking.' I mumble and he takes a deep breath to calm himself down and I look up at him and lean up, kissing his jaw. He closes his eyes and looks down at me. He sends me a smirk and I smile back and rest my head against his chest.

'What do you want to watch?' he asks. 'Anything funny.' I say. 'Go take a shower and I'll have it ready...along with some hot chocolate.' he says and I smile and nod, heading up the stairs. When I was out I hop down the stairs. I didn't even care if Paul went running from my attire. I wanted to wear sweats so I was gonna wear sweats, dammit.

He looks over and grins, licking his lips. 'Hey beautiful.' he says and I roll my eyes. 'These are some of my grossest clothes.' I say. 'And even they look amazing on you.' he says and I chuckle. 'Being sweet won't get you a bigger lunch on Monday.' I say. 'How about a kiss?' he purrs and I look up at him surprised.

I watch him then lean up and peck him gently. He catches my head and grins, leaning in more. I close my eyes and when we pulled away, I felt breathless. I thought that was just a myth. Guys didn't usually make girls breathless in real life, did they? I smile and turn to the tv, feeling my cheeks warm up.

Halfway through the movie, Paul had shifted so he was lying down on the couch and pulled me on top of him, wrapping his arms around me. I rest my cheek on my arm and watch the movie, feeling myself grow drowsy.

There's a knock on the door and Paul growls softly. 'Come in!' I call, not looking over. 'Classic movie.' I hear Jake say and I close my eyes and drop my head on Paul's chest. 'So...' Jake shuts the door and I slowly look over. 'You guys look cozy.' he grins and it drops at the lack of smile from both of us. 'What's wrong?' he asks and I look down.

'So, you did go and talk to Bella.' he says and I look up at Paul for comfort. He nods and I push myself up. He sits up as well and stands. 'I'm gonna go take a piss.' he says and walks upstairs. How charming. I send a look to his back and look over at Jake. 'There's...no chance?' he asks softly and I drop my gaze again.

'I tried, Jacob, so hard. I surprised myself at how hard I tried to convince her. If that fucking dead head hadn't gotten to her first, she'd be yours, I know it!' I say and kneel in front of him. 'I tried. I blew up when she said she couldn't. I flipped out and tried to walk home.' I say and his eyes narrow. 'That was stupid.' he growls lowly and I drop my head.

'I know, I know. I've already heard that from Emily and Paul.' I mumble and he watches me. I feel the tears coming again and they burst out. 'Jake, I'm so sorry! I wanted this to work out for you! I did! Please, believe me, though, when I tell you I'm sure there's someone out there! Someone so much better suited!' I say.

He looks down at his hands and I watch the emotions break him again. 'Jacob.' I whimper and he stands. 'I need to...go for a walk.' he says. 'Please...don't do anything drastic!' I gasp and watch him run out. 'Thank you for trying, Jade. You're a good friend.' he says and explodes as he hits the trees. I watch the rain fall harder and arms wrap around me gently.

'What can we do to help him?' I whisper. 'Find him his imprint.' Paul says. I shake my head and sigh. 'I still don't fucking know what that is.' I mumble and he chuckles. 'I know.' he says and I turn and glare at him slightly. 'Not tonight. I had you calm, let's try again.' he says and I whine and send him my best pout. 'You can act cute all you want. You're not ready to know.' he says.

'You think I'm cute?' I grin and he grins back and leans down, kissing my forehead. 'You're the cutest. C'mon.' he says and shuts the door. 'Will Jake be okay?' I ask and he shrugs. 'He'll cope until he finds what he needs.' he says. 'I don't want him to cope! I want him to find the love of his life and live happily ever after with her!' I say.

'He's sixteen.' he says. 'It can happen.' I mutter. 'It does happen, I was just surprised you believed in that.' he says. 'Of course I do.' I smile and gasp. 'Oh, does that scare you away?' I ask fast and he grins. 'No.' he says and I nod slowly, waiting for him to bolt for the door. I tilt my head and he turns and looks at me.

'C'mon, I was really comfortable.' he says and I smile and curl up on the couch with him. I watch the movie then look down at Paul. He looks up at me and grins, kissing me gently. 'Comfortable?' he asks and I nod, smiling. I rest my head down and watch the tv. Paul wouldn't do what Bella did, would he? The door opens and I groan.

'Next time, we watch the movie at your house.' I say and look over at Brent and Leah. 'Oh, uh...' Brent blushes and I grin slightly. 'Pick up your shit?' he asks. 'Nope.' I say. 'Did you fuck with my guitar again?' he asks. 'No, I've been in Forks and then I was walking in the rain, and then I was in Emily's truck, then in my car and then Paul and I were here, then Jake was here, then Jake was gone and now Paul and I are trying to enjoy this awesome movie without anymore interruptions.' I say.

'We'll go up to my room.' Brent says and I grin and rest back down. 'Lock the door!' I say and hear it lock. Brent chuckles and leans over. 'When do you leave for the date?' he asks. 'This is the date, man. Just go.' Paul glares and Brent shrugs, leading Leah up the stairs. I grin and look down at Paul. 'Like you weren't annoyed, too.' he says and I rest down again, amused.

His hand slides up and down my back gently and I feel my eyes closing. I was tired. Today had been exhausting. Soon, I was out, comfortable lying on my own personal space heater who was a great kisser with a good body and an extremely sweet side.

_**Aww, no true date. Bella just had to ruin that, didn't she? Paul still won't tell poor Jade what imprinting is. She's not ready yet. Well, there's the emotional chapter. Jade got to meet one of the Cullens. Didn't like him much, but I gotta admit I'd be somewhat freaked out if someone could read my thoughts too! Hope you guys liked it! We're gonna start digging into Paul and Jade's relationship. And when we're comfortable with that...we'll add some drama. Dun dun dun! Thanks for reading!**_


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